Former Stone County employee hit with felony theft charge

A former Stone County employee is facing allegations of theft from her ex-employer after a state audit identified more than $13,000 in missing funds earlier this year.

The Christian County prosecuting attorney's office on Oct. 27 charged Whitney Brown with one felony count of stealing, according to online court records from Stone County Circuit Court.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol probable cause statement included in court documents alleges Brown stole $13,682 from her former employer.

Brown was identified in an April audit report by Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's office. A news release issued at the time indicated that Brown allegedly failed to deposit more than $19,000 in county funds and that $13,682 remained missing.

"We were able to confirm their suspicions that Whitney Brown was responsible for thousands of dollars in undeposited merchant license and property tax payments, and also found the collector's office needs to improve its procedures to ensure this type of activity can be quickly detected in the future," Fitzpatrick said in the April release. "The good news for taxpayers is that county officials have already moved to put our recommendations into place, which will greatly reduce the risk of fraud and abuse going forward. I also hope officials will continue to work with law enforcement officials to prosecute Whitney Brown and to make sure she pays restitution to the county."

According to the auditor's release, Brown committed the alleged conduct between May 2023 and March 2024.

The felony complaint this week from the Christian County prosecuting attorney's office points to a class D felony punishment range of one to seven years in prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000 and potential restitution.

Online court records show Judge Eric Chavez scheduled an initial hearing for Nov. 18. Springfield Business Journal is seeking comment from Brown’s attorney.