Stephanie Churchill was indicted for embezzlement by a local grand jury and presented with a $104,256.92 demand letter.
On Tuesday, State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office arrested Stephanie Churchill, the former Town Clerk of Hickory Flat. Churchill was indicted for embezzlement by a local grand jury and presented with a 104,256.92 demand letter.
Churchill was accused of embezzling Hickory Flat’s Water and Sewage Department funds by not depositing the funds collected from water and sewage bills from October 2018 through February 2021.
State Auditor Shad White said that this is once again, another case where money intended to pay for water in a small town was embezzled and resulted in a big loss for the people of Hickory Flat.
“My office investigates these matters, identifying the facts, but we only make arrests when prosecutors choose to charge someone. We cannot make that choice for them. We also do not control sentences. Courts do that. But when we all work together, taxpayers see results, like in this case,” Auditor White said.
If convicted, Churchill will face up to 20 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. The case will be prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Ben Creekmore.
Anne Summerhays
