Decatur city court clerk accused of theft leaves jail

James has taken just under $10,000, Arnold told AM 750 and now 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB. That's the amount they have been able to confirm so far, she said.

Two of James’ co-workers brought allegations to Arnold on Feb. 12, Arnold told the radio station.

Decatur police started its investigation Monday, and James was arrested Friday morning, Arnold said. The city’s investigation continues, and James may face more charges, Arnold said.

It’s unclear at this point how long the thefts have been going on, Arnold said.

“We haven’t had a great amount of time to get really in depth into the investigation,” she said.

Arnold said two separate incidents raised her co-workers’ suspicions. On one occasion, a person came to the clerk of court’s office with a notification stating he had not paid a citation, she said.

The man produced a receipt showing that he had paid in cash on an earlier date, Arnold said.

‘That prompted the court clerk to look a little bit further into the cash transaction, and we found some discrepancies,” Arnold told WSB Radio. “It was enough to alert her suspicion and notify me.”

“We took the last few days looking into the accounting a little more carefully and definitely had enough evidence to get an arrest warrant and bring her into custody,” she said.

James, 37, has worked as a city clerk since 2006. Before that she was a dispatcher in the Decatur Police Department's 911 center, Arnold said.

“The City will not tolerate behavior that undermines the public’s trust in our government," Arnold said in the statement. "We intend to prosecute Ms. James to the fullest extent possible under the law.”

James was booked into the DeKalb County Jail Friday. No bond information was available.

AM 750 and

now

95.5 FM News/Talk WSB.