Butler County Human Resources director Lori Altman testified Friday that her view of Butler County and her work environment has changed since rumors in 2012 that she and her husband were involved in a kickback scheme with former county Commissioner Dale Pinkerton.

Altman's testimony came at the end of another long day in the trial of Jim Eckstein, who is accused of defamation by spreading lies about Altman, her husband and Pinkerton.

Answering questions from her attorney, Al Lindsay, Altman said that her view of the county — a place where she said she loved to work and has been a public employee since 1997 — has changed since March 9, 2012.

That's the day, Altman testified, when Sheriff Mike Slupe told her that investigators from the state attorney general's office were looking into allegations that her husband, state Police trooper Scott Altman, had supposedly fixed a DUI arrest for then-commissioner Dale Pinkerton in exchange for her getting a substantial raise.

“It's always a good place to work; politics is not as evil as you see it today; the commissioners got a long, they made changes. It wasn't this hostile environment,” Altman testified.

But she said that attitude, which Lindsay called “idealistic,” was dramatically altered by a “rumor mill” in county government that was stoked by Eckstein and the allegations he is accused of spreading.

“It changed over the years; since the (Slupe's) phone call,” Altman testified. “It's tough to be in this atmosphere of a lot of evil doings.”

There never were any changes regarding the case against Pinkerton.

The trial, which started with testimony on Wednesday, will continue Monday in Butler County Court.