By NANCY H. GONTER
ngonter@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The case against a local psychic who had been charged with taking $20,000 has been dropped by prosecutors.

The commonwealth did not have enough evidence to prove a charge of larceny by false pretenses against Dorothy A. Mitchell, 33, of 7 Old South St., according to documents in Northampton District Court.

In addition, Mitchell, who does business by the name of Ann Michaels at the Northampton Psychic Shoppe, repaid the unidentified woman $20,091, documents state.

Mitchell's lawyer, Meade Burrows, said last week that Mitchell had a written contract with the woman that indicated the woman could get a full refund if she requested one within two weeks and a 50 percent refund after that. However, the woman never requested a refund, Burrows said.

"We had always said we believed this was a civil (not criminal) dispute," Burrows said.

Despite the fact that it was beyond the two weeks stated in the contract, Mitchell gave the woman a full refund, Burrows said.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth D. Katz wrote in court documents that the case could not be proved "beyond a reasonable doubt."

Burrows said he wished police had talked to Mitchell before arresting her, noting that she was arrested in front of her children, which was disturbing for them.

According to court documents, Mitchell told the woman to bring $10,000 to rid her of "bad karma." The woman brought the money the next day and brought another $10,000 several days later, according to the documents.

The plan was to have the money blessed to fix her negative energy, but later, Mitchell told her she would not get her money back and the woman went to police, documents state.

In a 2004 case, Mitchell was accused of taking $700 from a Northampton woman for seven candles and only giving her one. Then, Mitchell told her she needed $12,000 "so the victim would be rid of the evil entities that surround her," according to a police report.

At the shop, Mitchell performed a ceremony, placed the money in a bucket and lit it on fire, but before the victim could see it burn, Mitchell told her she had to leave the room because "evil spirits" were coming out, police said.

Mitchell had previously been charged in connection with a similar incident in 2004 in which she took $12,000 from another woman and claimed to burn it to get rid of "evil entities," but that case was dismissed in December 2004 after Mitchell paid restitution, according to court documents.

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