Money Returned to Town

State Auditor Shad White’s office returned over $1.3 million back to Mississippi taxpayers in February in stolen or misused funds. Significant amounts were returned in cases involving several town officials in Pelahatchie; the mayor of Aberdeen, Maurice Howard; the former Chancery Clerk of Humphreys County, Lawrence Browder; the former town clerk of Raleigh, Helen Bounds; and the commissioners of the Town Creek Master Water Management Board:

• In May 2018 Special Agents from the Auditor’s office issued demand letters to 10 current and former town officials in Pelahatchie after they used restricted law enforcement bank accounts to operate the town. After the Attorney General’s office litigated the case to recover additional damages, $543,038.04 was returned to the town in February. The case has now been paid in full.

Good News you can use! The Town of Pelahatchie received recovered funds today from the State Auditor in the amount of $543,038.04 to be placed back into the drug fund account. This brings the total to $692,146.35 in recovered funds. The Town now holds $1,281,516.65 in the drug fund account. With the desire to continue the growth of our town, the Mayor hopes to be able to use these recovered funds by building a brand-new operational facility for the Pelahatchie Police Department. The new upgraded look will be a huge step in the right direction of not only better security of our town but a more “bar raised” place for our community to feel good about. Pelahatchie…feels like home! Ryshonda Beechem, Mayor See: Auditor findings on drug seizure money