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McDonald County Grand Jury has indicted the Lanagan chief of police and one of
his officers for felony forgery.
Lanagan
Chief of Police Larry D. Marsh was charged with five counts of felony forgery
for writing citations with a "non-existent" Missouri statute and
altering a racial profiling report. Lanagan
Police Officer Michael Gallhue was also charged with two counts of felony
forgery for similar offenses. All are
Class C felonies.
State Auditor Tom Schweich issued an audit of the McDonald
County town in November 2011. Among the
key audit findings were missing funds and evidence that the city routinely
violated Section 302.341.2, RSMo, popularly
known as the "Macks Creek Law," by failing to relinquish excess revenues received from speeding
tickets to the state for distribution to local schools. Schweich's auditors discovered the police department
filed incorrect Missouri Vehicle
Stops Annual Reports with the Missouri attorney general, which helped hide the
excess revenues.
Schweich's
office shared the information with McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney
Jonathan Pierce, who then convened a grand jury investigation. Last week, Pierce asked the Missouri Highway
Patrol to arrest Marsh and charge him with falsifying reports.
"This
is a great example of what teamwork between state and local government can do
to uphold accountability," Schweich
said. "We have an outstanding staff
of experienced auditors and an exceptional legal team that reviews every audit
and takes action when misdeeds like this are identified."
McDonald
County Prosecuting Attorney Pierce added:
"I
appreciate the work done by Auditor Schweich's team," Pierce said. "The action we took last week shows no
one is above the law, and this office will not hesitate to vigorously pursue
those who violate the public trust."
Schweich's
audits were instrumental in the arrest of another local official last
year. The Schuyler County Collector
resigned after a state audit showed she had embezzled more than $500,000 for
her own personal use. She pled guilty to
felony mail fraud and has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison.
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