The former water clerk for the Town of Sardis has been arrested on one count of embezzlement.
State Auditor Shad White announced Tuesday that special agents from his office took Lisa Goodson into custody. Goodson is accused of taking cash from water payments and then deleting the transactions from the payment system to hide the theft.
“My office will continue to crack down on cases big and small and ensure that taxpayer money is spent properly,” White said. “As always, prosecutors must decide to take our cases and indict an individual before we make an arrest, so I’m grateful to be able to work with prosecutors around the state on cases like this.”
Goodson faces up to $5,000 in fines and five years in prison if convicted. A $50,000 surety bond covers Goodson’s employment as the Town of Sardis Water Department clerk. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption.
According to the Town of Sardis’ official Facebook, Goodson was hired in April of this year.