Ex-Carter County Collector placed on probation

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A judge placed former Carter County collector Jennifer Clark-Williams on probation Monday morning when he sentenced her for stealing property tax money from the county.

Clark-Williams, who resigned in October 2012 after having served as collector since January 1999, pleaded guilty in January to misdemeanor stealing.

As part of plea negotiations, Steve Sokoloff, who was appointed special prosecutor, earlier agreed to reduce Clark-Williams' original felony charge if she would "pay all of the restitution at once prior to sentencing."

"The money has been paid," Sokoloff said. "That was the reason why the commission and I were agreeable to a misdemeanor disposition" in the case.

Clark-Williams, Sokoloff said, paid $29,639 in restitution. That amount includes what "the audit determined was taken, plus the cost of the audit, plus the additional overtime" for her successors in researching the missing funds, Sokoloff said.

Also included in that amount, Sokoloff said, are some "additional tax bills [which were] discovered after the audit was completed."

Sokoloff said Presiding Circuit Judge David Evans sentenced Clark-Williams to one year in the county jail, with suspended execution of the sentence.

"She's got to serve two 48-hour periods in the next 60 days," Sokoloff said. "I think she is going to do the first and second weekends of next month."

Clark-Williams, Sokoloff said, was placed on two years' unsupervised probation and ordered to pay court costs, which "includes my expenses, mileage and stuff, and not commit other violations."

A 2009 audit completed by then-Missouri Auditor Susan Montee's office found "all money paid by taxpayers could not be accounted for."

An audit subsequently was completed by Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich's office and found $3,817 was missing from the Carter County Collector's 2011 account.

Clark-Williams and a part-time worker reportedly were the only employees of the office.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol subsequently was contacted and Troop G's Division of Drug and Crime Control investigated the allegations of missing money.

During an interview, Clark-Williams, who was told of her rights, admitted she used the money from the Collector's Office for personal things.

"She wasn't sure exactly how much she had actually 'borrowed' or taken from the account because she didn't keep good records of the amount she had taken," according to the probable-cause statement filed with the court. "Clark-Williams said the first time she took money was approximately December 2010. She borrowed money to pay for her personal electric bill."

Clark-Williams reportedly told the investigator she repaid some of the money.

The money, Clark-Williams reported, was used to pay electric bills, insurance payments and other personal debts.