Kuttawa’s former city clerk and her husband, who were accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the city’s bank account, have officially been sentenced.
According to media reports, 56th Judicial Circuit Judge C.A. “Woody” Woodall sentenced Katie Harrison to nine years and Clayton Harrison to three years, according to set plea agreements, in Lyon County Circuit Court Monday. The couple is also being required to pay back $17,000 to the City of Kuttawa.
The charges stem from an investigation that began in July 2018 when the couple was reported missing after Katie didn’t show up for work. After her disappearance, Kuttawa officials notified state police that funds were possibly missing. State police then launched an investigation and discovered several thousands of dollars were unaccounted for in the city’s account. The couple wasn’t taken into custody until November 2018 when Tennessee officials found them hiding in Sevier County near Gatlinburg.
On December 20, 2019 both Katie and Clayton Harrison reached plea agreements in criminal mediation. Katie Harrison agreed to plead guilty to 24 counts of second-degree forgery, one count of tampering with physical evidence, one count of abuse of public trust, two counts of theft of more than $10,000, one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of property and 11 counts of tampering with public records. Clayton Harrison then agreed to plead guilty to 10 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, one count of theft of more than $10,000, one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of property and one count of theft of more than $500.
(Written By Audrey Lamb/WPKY)
