JEFFERSON CITY — The former acting mayor of a small town in Missouri’s Bootheel region has been charged with eight counts of felony stealing in connection with the disappearance of more than $66,000 in taxpayer funds.
Jessica Roach, who served as mayor of Holland from 2018 to 2021, is scheduled to appear Dec. 18 in a Pemiscot County courtroom to address the charges.
The court case was expected after a report in June by Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick showed Roach failed to deposit money to pay city utility bills in city accounts. A review of Roach’s personal bank accounts noted large cash deposits totaling the same amount that wasn’t placed in city coffers, the audit said.
People are also reading…
Fitzpatrick called her actions “an egregious breach of public trust.â€
The criminal case was delayed after Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney Steven Horton declared a conflict of interest. Nicholas Jain, the prosecutor in neighboring Dunklin County, will oversee the case.
A warrant issued in the case shows Roach is charged with eight counts of stealing over $750.
The audit of the Pemiscot County town of about 190 residents near the Arkansas border began under former state Auditor Nicole Galloway following a request by the city council.
During her tenure, Roach did not appoint aldermen to fill vacant posts or schedule a special election to be called in accordance with city code, which allowed her and the part-time city clerks to manage the city without oversight, the audit noted.
In addition to the $66,000, the audit found Roach did not pay for her utility services totaling $2,036 or her city property taxes totaling $213. She also improperly paid herself $300.
Roach also hired and paid her daughter $800 to serve as the city clerk for three months in violation of the state constitution’s prohibition on nepotism.
Fitzpatrick said Roach told auditors that the cash deposits into her personal accounts were a result of the sale of vaping devices, T-shirts and fireworks.
But, according to the report, if every vaping device that she ordered was sold and the cash proceeds deposited into the acting mayor’s personal bank account, the vaping devices would have been sold at a 265% markup.
Auditors also found that Roach used $9,215 in money orders to pay down her credit card balance, suggesting that missing city cash receipts may have been used to purchase the money orders.
Roach’s attorney, Terry McVey, could not be immediately reached for comment.