Warrant issued for the arrest of former county clerk

Former Grady County clerk Carrie Croy surrendered to law enforcement Tuesday afternoon after a warrant for her arrest was issued Monday.

Croy is facing a felony charge of theft by taking. She is alleged to have taken $5,847.45 in public funds between the dates of April 2, 2015 and April 27, 2018.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Hank Day sought the warrant and it was issued Monday by Grady County Chief Magistrate Pat Pollock.

According to Grady County Sheriff Harry Young, the former county clerk was allowed to report to the Grady County Detention Center at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to be arrested and booked. A bond of $1,500 had been set by the chief magistrate, but the sheriff waived the bond and released her on her own recognizance.

According to authorities, Croy is being represented by Whigham attorney Joshua C. Bell, who is also the judge of Grady County State Court.

Croy resigned as county clerk on Oct. 23, 2018 after being confronted with the findings of an internal audit conducted by Grady County auditor Perry Henry. She had been placed on paid administrative leave on Oct. 3, 2018, pending the completion of the auditor’s review.

Based on the findings of the county auditor, Croy manipulated the payroll and finance software of the county in order to increase her net pay.

The former clerk is alleged to have removed deductions for federal and state taxes, insurance premiums, and retirement fund contributions over a period of years from 2015 through 2018 which county officials said at that time amounted to approximately $5,000.

In addition to the manipulation of her paycheck, Grady County administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, stated in a letter to Croy, issued upon her resignation, that the auditor had discovered other “findings that go beyond the information in this adverse action letter.”

South Georgia Judicial Circuit District Attorney Joe Mulholland met with the county auditor on Oct. 30, 2018 and ultimately turned the case over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for further investigation.

On Monday night, Mulholland said he had not seen the arrest warrant issued for Croy and he did not know how the GBI had decided to charge Croy.

GBI officials could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Last November, Mulholland said that based on the additional findings of the auditor additional investigation beyond the paycheck manipulation was warranted. Exactly what those findings were has not been publicly disclosed and it does not appear that Croy faces charges in relation to the alleged secret findings.

Mulholland said he would be reviewing the charges and would present them to the Grand Jury when a new Grand Jury is impaneled for the March Term of Grady Superior Court.

Whether or not additional charges will be filed or if the results of the investigation into the additional audit findings will be made public could not be confirmed Tuesday.

Croy, who served as the county clerk from July 2008 until her resignation on Oct. 23, 2018, began her public service with the county in January 2002 when she was hired as the county’s human resources manager and records manager.