MADISON, Neb. -- In a relatively short court proceeding, former North Fork Area Transit Director Jeffery Stewart waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will have his felony case bound over to district court.

After having a bond reduction revoked in his previous hearing, Stewart’s attorney Matthew Headley kept his comments short during proceedings.

When they finished talking about a letter referring to Stewart’s bond, Judge Taylor bounded Stewart's case over to district court.

Stewart is required to make his first appearance at Madison District Court on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.

An audit issued by the Nebraska State Auditor's office also levied allegations against Stewart from his time running the transit operation.

It was reported that NFAT was unable to make payroll on Dec. 16, shortly after Stewart submitted a request to the board for medical leave. The board then sought $88,155.59 from the Norfolk City Council to ensure employees were paid.

The service was forced to cease operations on Jan. 6 due to a lack of funds. Operations resumed in the spring after a successful fundraising campaign brought in $1 million, which was made up of $500,000 from the community and a matching $500,000 donation from the Johnny Carson Foundation.

During that time, Stewart was reportedly in Mexico. In a phone interview prior to his arrest, Stewart claimed he was dealing with “mental health issues" at the time of his departure from Nebraska. 

Stewart also claimed that he was unaware that police were searching for him. Madison County officials said they had been searching for him since December.

Stewart said in a phone call to News Channel Nebraska on July 13 that the funds that had been reported missing from North Fork Area Transit had to do with longer wait times for reimbursement from the Nebraska Department of Transportation.