JONESBORO, Ark. — Craighead County, Arkansas Clerk Kade Holliday, 31, was arrested Monday on felony theft charges.
District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington said, “This morning, officers from the Arkansas State Police and raighead County Sheriff’s Department arrested Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday. I have instructed my deputies to immediately file felony theft charges against him. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Grant DeProw will file a Felony Information charging multiple counts of Theft of Property in excess of $25,000 and one count of Abuse of Office, all of which are Class B felonies. He will also file a petition asking the Circuit Court to remove Holliday from office today.”
Ellington says, “On Thursday, June 25th, I received an urgent phone call to meet with Craighead County Judge Marvin Day and auditors with the Division of Legislative Audit. The auditors had obtained and examined bank records that raised suspicion of theft of county funds from an account Holliday maintained in his official capacity as county clerk. We then met with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division and requested they open the investigation which led to Holliday’s arrest. The investigation is ongoing and further details are limited.”
According to jail documents, Holliday's charge is Embezzle Funds or Property from the School of the Deaf, the Blind, or Stat.
The County Clerk is the official bookkeeper of county government, usually handling the payroll for all county employees. The Clerk also keeps an accurate account of all financial transactions within the county and files all documents, vouchers, and other papers pertaining to the settlement of any account to which the county is involved. It is the responsibility of the County Clerk to prepare all checks on the treasury for monies ordered to be paid by the County Court and to keep complete and accurate records of all these financial transactions ready for the court's inspection at any time.
Holliday is being held in the custody of Sheriff Marty Boyd at the Craighead County Detention Center awaiting his first court appearance and bond hearing.
