Former Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday pleaded guilty in circuit court Monday and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and nearly $14,000 in restitution for stealing from a local nonprofit and forging Alcoholic Beverage Control applications, according to court records and prosecutor Keith Chrestman.
"The sentence is a significant upward departure for the offense," Chrestman said in a released statement. "So I thank Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Charlene Davidson, who prosecuted Holliday, for a successful outcome."
Holliday pleaded guilty to four counts of theft of property and one count of forgery. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison for two theft convictions and 120 months for the forgery, according to records. The sentences are to run concurrently. Two of the convictions come with a 72-month sentence suspension, which also will run concurrently.
The $13,963 restitution, $150 court costs and $40 in fees must be made in $150 installments, the court records show. It also says Holliday will be taken into custody at the Craighead County sheriff's office Dec. 10.
The convictions stem from nearly $14,000 he stole while managing money for the Northeast Arkansas Leadership Business Council, according to previous reporting by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Court records showed, at the time, that the organization discovered missing funds from the club dues, membership fees and money from a fundraiser.
A search warrant found Holliday withdrew or transferred all the funds to his personal bank account, only leaving $6 in the nonprofit's First National Bank account.
Holliday also faces numerous counts of federal wire fraud charges from allegedly embezzling more than $1.6 million of Craighead County funds while the county clerk. He is set for trial in U.S. District Court in Little Rock the week of Feb. 22, according to a court order.
"Mr. Holliday is pleased to have the state charges resolved and is prepared to begin his sentence on the state case," his defense attorney, Dustin McDaniel, said Monday. "He will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice and we will work towards the resolution of his federal case in coming weeks."
A judge previously ordered Holliday to repay more than $1.4 million of the missing $1.6 million back to the county. He is accused of transferring funds from the county's payroll holding account to his personal bank account on about a dozen occasions.