State Auditor Shad White announced Stephanie Churchill has pleaded guilty to embezzlement in Benton County Circuit Court. Churchill, a former Town Clerk of Hickory Flat, was indicted and arrested for embezzlement in April of 2022. The guilty plea was recorded in Judge J. Kelley Luther’s courtroom.
Churchill embezzled Hickory Flat Water and Sewage Department funds by not depositing the funds collected from water and sewage bills from October 2018 through February 2021. Special Agents presented a $104,256.92 demand letter to Churchill upon her arrest. The Auditor’s office has already recovered $50,000 from a surety bond company and returned it back to Hickory Flat taxpayers. Churchill was ordered to pay $55,850.42 in restitution and other court fees.
Bob Bakken is the most recognized and most trusted name in DeSoto County news and sports reporting, as readers continue to express their appreciation for his accuracy and fairness in the stories he writes. Bob is also heard on 95.3 The Rebel twice a week with sports updates and high school football play-by-play broadcasts in the fall. A former newspaper editor and writer, his award-winning background also includes television news producing, sports media relations, and radio broadcasting.
