Audit says $65K gone from Missouri court under clerk’s watch

The state auditor says more than $65,000 went missing from a southwestern Missouri court under a former clerk’s watch.

Auditor Nicole Galloway said Wednesday that the previous Carl Junction Municipal Court clerk took advantage of her position to defraud the city.

City officials asked for the audit after a judge noticed discrepancies in a case file that the former clerk couldn’t explain. Some defendants said they didn’t receive bond refunds owed to them.

The state auditor’s office says files appeared to be intentionally disorganized and that poor accounting allowed the missing money to go unnoticed for years.

The audit found the clerk didn’t deposit $65,373 worth of payments to the court. Auditors believe another $30,000 could also be missing.

City officials are pursuing criminal prosecution, but charges haven’t been filed.