Former employees charged in theft from rural water system

MONTICELLO, Miss. (AP) - Two former employees face charges that they stole from a rural water system in southwest Mississippi.

The Daily Leader reports that 49-year-old Tina King has been indicted for embezzlement by a Lawrence County grand jury. Her husband, 56-year-old Randy King, is indicted for being an accessory after the fact. Both are free on bail. It’s unclear if either has a lawyer.

Lawrence County sheriff’s investigator Ryan Everett didn’t specify how much money authorities believe was stolen from the Jayess Topeka-Tilton Water Association, but describes it as “quite a substantial sum.”

Everett says a bank employee noticed an odd signature on a check in 2015. An association board member confirmed it was forged, sparking an audit.

Tina King was secretary and bookkeeper for the association. Randy King worked in the field.

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Information from: The Daily Leader, http://www.dailyleader.com