Former Yalobusha County native Melissa Cook has been arrested by special agents from the State Auditor’s Office for embezzlement charges.
Cook, a former accounts receivable clerk, was indicted by a local grand jury for embezzlement from Yalobusha General Hospital—a publicly owned hospital where she was previously employed.
Upon her arrest, Cook was issued a $102,089.74 demand letter for embezzling in-patient care payments from the hospital by not depositing cash payments made to the hospital from March 2018 to August 2020. She is also alleged to have converted the cash to her own personal use and deposited large sums into her own bank account.
“We will continue to hold the line when it comes to embezzlement, whether it’s a large amount like this or a small amount,” said State Auditor White. “While we are not allowed to decide when a person faces criminal charges at the end of our cases—prosecutors do that—we’re always grateful for their help when we can work together.”
If convicted, Cook faces up to 20 years in prison or up to $25,000 in fines.
