A former employee in the Forrest City Municipal Court Clerk's office, now known as the District Court, has been arrested for theft.
Patrice Mullins, 23, 815 Rice St., Forrest City, was arrested Friday for theft over $500 in connection with the theft of money from the court clerk's office.
Mullins was employed in the clerk's office between October, 1999, and February, 2000. The theft of $1,499 is believed to have occurred between Dec. 13, 1999 and Jan. 26, 2000, according to St. Francis County Sheriff's Department Chief Criminal Investigator Glenn Ramsey.
District Court Clerk Neva Vance said Mullins was terminated from her position after the alleged thefts were discovered.
Ramsey said the investigation into the missing funds began this year after an audit report showed money missing. Mullins was originally allowed time to repay the money, but after failing to do so, was arrested on the theft charge, he said.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
It's hoped that circuit court will be able to get back to normal in the repaired St. Francis County Courthouse for the November session.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco made that assessment this morning.
A portion of the courthouse was badly damaged March 20, by a fire which was eventually ruled arson. A juvenile was arrested in the case.
"We're pushing to try to be ready for the November round of court," said Cisco. "They've got a pretty heavy docket for November and December. In talking to Metro (the company doing the work), we've stressed the fact that it has taken a while."
He said it took a while to get the smoke smell out of the damaged portion, "but you can go up there now and you don't smell it."
Cisco said the roof is fixed and the air conditioning has been installed.
"They are now getting ready to put up paneling and laying carpet," said Cisco.
Cisco said the repairs are costing around $490,000, with another $100,000 for fixtures and books. "It's going to be between $500,00 and $600,000 for both," he said.
Forrest City Bank has received $22,000 from the U.S. Treasury Department, because the bank invested in two certified Community Development Financial Institutions.
The announcement was made by the office of U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, (D-Ark.). The funds are being furnished through the Treasury Department's Bank Enterprise Award Program, which provides incentives for insured depository institutions to make investments in Community Development Financial Institutions. This increases the lending and other activities of the CDFIs in distressed neighborhoods.
According to John Stipe, president of Forrest City Bank, the bank made $100,000 deposits each in First National Bank of Phillips County and Elkhorn Bank and Trust in Arkadelphia.
Stipe said those two institutions do a lot of lending for developmental projects.
"In 2000, they loaned right at $4 million in development lending," Stipe said. "Our contribution was just a small part of it, but through that we were able to assist them."
He said examples of lending the institutions do include affordable housing, apartment houses and start-up business.
One of the things they have financed was a housing project in Clarendon, but there are many other things they have done throughout their area.
Stipe said the FCB also makes local developmental loans.
The Caldwell Fire Department has received $6,930 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for fire prevention programs.
This initial award is part of more than $100 million in grants which will be distributed by FEMA through Sept. 30. The first awards are for training, to be followed by grants for vehicles, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment, wellness and fitness programs and fire prevention programs, according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Marion Berry.
More than 19,700 fire departments, volunteer and career, have applied for grants this year, submitting requests totaling almost $2.98 billion.
The grants, authorized last year by Congress, will reach rural, urban and suburban fire departments. The grant applications are being processed by the U.S. Fire Administration and rated by representatives from seven fire service organizations.
"This FEMA grant will ensure that the citizens of Caldwell are educated in fire safety and prevention," Berry said.
After a week off, due to the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the Professor Pigskin is back.
There were several Times-Herald readers who missed just four of the selected games, but only one reader missed less -- Angela Taylor of Forrest City -- who missed just two games, the Detroit-Cleveland and Tennessee-Jacksonville NFL choices.
Taylor was perfect in her high school and college picks. And because of that, she wins the week's $50 cash prize.
The next chance to grab some of the money begins today with the new Professor Pigskin contest.
The annual Forrest City Kiwanis Pancake Day will be held Nov. 6 at First Baptist Church on Rosser, from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Tickets are $5 in advance, and $6 a the door. The menu will include pancakes, bacon, sausage, milk, coffee, soft drinks and orange juice.
Proceeds will go to the many Kiwanis projects, such as the Academic Achievement Banquet, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, nursing scholarships, college scholarships, disadvantaged children, school drug program, youth baseball and other community projects.
A county prisoner tried a bid for freedom Monday by running away from a work detail, but was recaptured soon after his escape.
According to the Sheriff's Department report, at about 10:50 a.m. Monday, a call came in that an inmate, Michael Coleman Jr., 20, had run away from a work detail near Palestine.
After being told what direction Coleman had taken, officers began a search. Coleman was sighted from SFC 105, crossing a field. Coleman was apprehended with no further incident and returned to jail.
According to the report, it was the first time Coleman had been on a work crew.