ONLINE FIRST: County Commissioners pursue criminal investigation

Thursday, January 3, 2013 ~ Updated 10:36 AM
Laurie Sisk/Tribune photo Bourbon County Commissioners meet in one of two executive sessions on Thursday morning before deciding to pursue a criminal investigation involving a county clerk's office employee who was terminated for misconduct on Wednesday.

FORT SCOTT - Bourbon County Commissioners decided during a special meeting Thursday morning to pursue a criminal investigation against a former non-elected employee of the Bourbon County Clerk's office.

Commissioners decided to pursue the investigation after a 30-minute executive session to discuss non-elected personnel and possible litigation, followed by a 10-minute executive session for the same reason in the County Commission room.

Present for the executive sessions were commissioners Harold Coleman, Allen Warren, and Jingles Endicott, County Attorney Terri Johnson, Assistant County Attorney Valerie LeBlanc, Bourbon County Sheriff Ron Gray and Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason.

Johnson said the name of the employee being investigated is not being released because of the ongoing sheriff's investigation.

"We had a termination yesterday from the clerk's office of an employee for misconduct," Coleman said after the executive session. "As part of our decision, we are going to authorize a criminal investigation for alleged employee theft."

Commissioners also passed a motion to appoint Terry Sercer to perform an audit of all the funds the clerk's office has access to.

Johnson suggested that commissioners hold a department head meeting to advise department heads of any additional steps the commissioners may require of them.

"The county is the victim of an alleged criminal act," Johnson said. "The sheriff will be investigating."

Johnson could not disclose a dollar amount or whether the alleged theft was monetary or property because of the pending investigation.