Officials in Leflore and Carroll counties are listed for nearly $30,000 in misspent public money on a state auditor’s report released Thursday.
Offenses ranged from doing work on private property to losing equipment and receipts. Most of the money has already been repaid.
State Auditor Stacey Pickering released the Fiscal Year 2011 (July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011) audit exceptions report just in time for the upcoming primary elections.
An exception indicates that a violation of the law or an accounting error has resulted in a misappropriation or an incorrect expenditure of public funds, according to an auditor’s press release. The money must be repaid from the offender’s own pocket.
Mississippi Valley State University had a total of $7,636 spread among 15 employees for missing equipment. All of it has been repaid.
The two biggest amounts came from Joseph Wahome, $3,135, and Derrick Bell, $2,317.
It’s only the latest trouble for Wahome. The science professor was charged in May with his third DUI — a felony — by Greenwood police.
Carroll County Supervisor Lloyd “Honey” Ashmore was listed for $9,892 in the audit report. It said Ashmore had paid $3,196.
Ashmore was indicted on two charges of embezzlement in May 2008. He was tried in June 2010 on one count that alleged he had county employees build a bridge worth $1,900 on property belonging to Ed Meeks of Teoc in 2003. Judge Billy Bridges dismissed that charge during the middle of the trial due to a lack of evidence.
In December 2010, Bridges agreed to dismiss the second charge — for allegedly having a bridge built on Ashmore’s own property — on the condition that he pay back the value of that bridge, determined to be $3,196.
It’s not clear what the additional $6,000 the auditor said Ashmore owes is for. Spokesman Lisa Shoemaker said this morning she would check it out.
Shoemaker later responded and said the auditor's office sought the money for the first bridge in civil court even though the criminal charges were dismissed.
Kevin Horan, board attorney for Carroll County, said completely paid back the value of a bridge he allegedly built on his own property but did not admit to any wrongdoing. Horan said Ashmore did not owe any more.
Ashmore will face Hub Jackson and Randy Smith in the Beat 2 Democratic primary Aug. 2.
Former Carroll County Supervisor Neal Blaylock was listed for $9,639 for work done on private bridges in 2000.
That money was repaid by landowners Mary Casiday and Buster Mullins. Blaylock has admitted to making a mistake by giving in to landowners’ request to do the work.
Blaylock served three terms as Beat 1 supervisor before losing four years ago to Terry Herbert. Blaylock is running for the position again this year against Herbert.
Leflore County Circuit Clerk Trey Evans had an $1,155 exception for “disallowed expenses.”
He said it was probably due to a receipt that couldn’t be found.
“It was easier to pay it than to try to dig up a receipt that would be hard to find,” Evans said.
Wayne Self, president of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors, was listed in the report for $736 for improper use of a vehicle.
However, Self said the incident regarded the county, not him, and that he did not repay any money.
“I didn’t have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Shoemaker said she would also check to see who paid that money and later responded that the auditor received a check from Self for that amount.
•Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
