Former Glasgow city administrator charged after auditor finds misused funds
GLASGOW, Mo. (KMIZ)
The city administrator in the Howard County town of Glasgow has been charged with theft more than two years after he resigned from office.
The Missouri Attorney General's Office, acting as a special prosecutor, charged Kevin Atwood in Howard County on Dec. 2 with a single count of felony receiving stolen property. The complaint filed in the case alleges Atwood bought items for himself worth at least $750 on a city credit card.
Glasgow city attorney Randall Barron said Atwood was chief from 2010 to November 2017, when he resigned after the city started noticing financial discrepancies.
The city asked the state auditor to investigate in October 2017 and the office issued a report in 2018, Barron said.
Atwood's lawyer, Andrew Popplewell, said he would not comment on the specifics of the case but noted that Atwood has pleaded not guilty and has requested to see the state's evidence against him.
The auditor's office in a September 2018 release said it discovered thousands of dollars missing, that city funds were used to pay off a personal credit card and that guns were unaccounted for. The release named Atwood as the person responsible for city accounting and said he was also the city's police chief.
"There must be zero tolerance for corruption and fraud by those who are in positions of public trust," State Auditor Nicole Galloway said in a statement Wednesday. "My audit of Glasgow helped uncover a serious violation of public trust, and we will continue to partner with law enforcement to pursue justice for taxpayers."
Among other findings, the audit uncovered that Atwood directed city staff to pay $5,500 toward his personal credit cards, including $4,000 worth of improper and personal charges, according to the release. The charges included purchases from Amazon and video game subscriptions.
A Glasgow city spokeswoman said Atwood was arrested in Moberly last week and has since bonded out of jail.
A hearing in Atwood's case is set for Dec. 19.
