Jim Thorpe Borough Council will pursue criminal charges against a former councilwoman who failed to return a borough-owned laptop after her resignation last month.

Following a lengthy executive session, council voted unanimously on Thursday night to authorize Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz to contact the Carbon County District Attorney’s office and initiate an investigation into the matter concerning Jessica Crowley.

The laptop was one of several that the borough received through a grant and issued to council members in the last few months. Crowley has not responded to multiple attempts by the borough to retrieve the laptop, according to council President Greg Strubinger.

“To say it’s disappointing is an understatement that a public servant would use their office for personal gain, but we have no other choice than to believe that at this point,” Strubinger said at the meeting.

Crowley resigned in September and posted on social media that she was moving to western Pennsylvania.

She had been censured by council in February for what her colleagues described as “negative, unfounded and unilateral actions” that hindered the council’s work and created a hostile environment.

“Her actions created a hostile work environment and placed in jeopardy the ability of the borough to secure grant funding,” the borough’s censure resolution read. “The unprofessional, inflammatory and reckless behavior of Councilwoman Crowley potentially puts the safety of council members and borough staff at risk.”

Crowley defended herself at the time, saying that the censure was “an attempt to tell her what to do in her personal life and tone police her.”