A potential criminal investigation of Greenville's past fiscal and management practices is on hold until the Mercer County District Attorney's Office wraps up a murder trial and can meet with borough officials to discuss the specifics of a probe, said District Attorney James P. Epstein.

The Mercer County Common Pleas Court trial of Shane Sloan, a Pine Township man accused of strangling his mother last February, is expected to end either at the end of the week or possibly early next week.

"After the murder trial is over, we will meet with whomever is requesting us to conduct their investigation to see if there is some basis to believe that criminal conduct occurred, and if there is some basis to believe that it did, then we will move on from there," Epstein said Monday.

Epstein, who was out of the office last week, said he received a one-paragraph letter from Greenville solicitor Warren Keck III on Monday. "The letter requested us to commence an investigation to determine if there was criminality involved in the borough deficit, contracting for the construction of the sports complex or any other expenditure of borough funds," Epstein said.

"That's obviously too general an outline upon which to commence an investigation. So the next step is to sit down with representatives of the borough and see precisely what it is they want us to look into," Epstein added.

Council took formal steps a week ago to launch a criminal investigation of the borough's past fiscal and management practices, unanimously agreeing to send a letter to Epstein requesting a probe.

The borough was declared financially distressed under the state Act 47 program two weeks ago. The borough has operated in the red for six years and has a current budget deficit of about $1.1 million.

Borough officials have kept the town afloat since 2000 by using nearly $1 million of a $3.67 million bond issue for day-to-day expenses other than the local projects the money was reserved for. That use was unauthorized, according to the bond agreement and has drained the bond fund and jeopardized some of the projects. Local officials also are concerned about some of the work and spending on an estimated $1.8 million project to build a 42-acre outdoor sports complex in West Salem Township; the project is about a year-and-a-half behind schedule and up to $400,000 over budget.