The outcome of former Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman is now in the hands of a 12-member jury from Freeborn County.

The jury was dismissed for deliberations at about 3:20 p.m. after a lengthy amount of jury instructions by Mower County District Court Judge Fred Wellmann, who is presiding on the case.

Norman, 57, faces eight charges tied to an alleged misuse of his city-issued credit card at the time he was city manager in Albert Lea.

Prior to Wellmann’s instructions, both Norman’s lawyer, Peggy Rockow, and Chief Deputy Waseca County Attorney Brenda Miller gave closing arguments in front of the jury.

Miller argued that the case was one of trust and accountability, where she alleged that Norman put his own interest above that of the public.

She argued that Norman gave inconsistent statements to account for the improper credit card charges — including initial statements about having to use the card because he had bad finances, to ones that he thought the charges were considered moving and relocation expenses, and even that he mistakenly used the wrong card when making purchases.

“How many times has the defendant’s story changed?” Miller said.

She said Norman used the city credit card hoping to “float” himself by.

“He knew what he was doing,” Miller said. “He knew the charges were improper. That’s why he paid them back right away.”

Rockow argued that the state failed to show proof beyond a reasonable doubt on each of the counts. She said Miller tried to make inflammatory statements referring to the funds as taxpayer money.

She asked the jurors to look at the specific section of Norman’s employment agreement that referred to moving and relocation expenses, noting that the agreement does not define relocation agreements.

She said her client had nothing to hide and that evidence showed no “purposeful intent to defraud.”

Look to www.AlbertLeaTribune.com for more as this story develops.