TRUMANN - A former Trumann city employee will be formally charged in April with theft, fraud and forgery over $70,000 in missing city funds, a prosecutor said Friday.
Amanda Atkins, a former secretary for the city, the Trumann Chamber of Commerce and the city’s Industrial Development Commission, was arrested March 17 on three counts of felony fraudulent use of a credit card, 64 counts of second-degree felony forgery and one count of theft of property of over $25,000.
Second Judicial District Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jimmy Gazaway said a state legislative audit of the Trumann Industrial Commission discovered discrepancies in money transferred between the commission and the Chamber of Commerce. The audit also found unauthorized credit cards set up on the city’s account, and Atkins is accused of using one of the credit cards to pay her cellphone bill, Gazaway said.
He said Atkins is accused of forging the names of others authorized to write checks on the commission’s checking account.
Atkins, whose age was unavailable Friday, will be formally charged in Poinsett County Circuit Court on April 30, Gazaway said.
A telephone number for Atkins could not be found. Mark Rees, a Jonesboro attorney who is representing Atkins, said Friday that he would not comment about the case.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 03/29/2014