A former Forest Park city councilwoman turned herself in Monday after a warrant was issued for her arrest over T-shirts she bought for her constituents.
A bench warrant was issued for Karen Brandee Williams after a grand jury indicted her on charges of theft by deception, violation of oath of office, and making false statements.
The charges stem from $231.50 she spent on the printing of T-shirts in 2010 for her constituents. Williams' attorney, Quinton Washington, called the charges politically motivated. "She went through the proper channels," said Washington. "She told them she was buying T-shirts for a community event and she bought T-shirts for her constituents," he said. "She is being indicted for spending $231.50 on 30-some-odd T-shirts. That purchase is the basis of the indictment."
Williams maintains her innocence and was released Monday morning on $3,000 bond. Williams was ousted from office in July 2010 over ethics charges that ended her 18-month political stint that was marked by controversy. Williams won her Ward 2 seat in January 2010 after beating out a favored candidate in a surprise victory. Shortly after taking office, Williams butted heads with the council by asking the city to pay for a chair she could use during council meetings to ease the discomfort she has from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. That request was denied.
"All I know is that it seems that from the beginning of my asking for an ergonomic chair, everything just escalated from that," Williams said. "It just escalated to my being retaliated and conspired against, and it's been one thing after another," she said.
Tension grew after a trio of residents accused Williams of violating city charter and ethics rules with two dozen charges ranging from using city money to buying T-shirts for constituents to berating city employees. In May, a hearing officer found evidence in 15 of the 25 allegations, prompting the council to take steps to oust Williams.
Williams has steadfastly disputed the charges that she misused money when she used funds from her ward to buy the T-shirts. She told the council the purchase was approved by city officials.
Williams' supporters believe her arrest is designed to prevent her from being re-elected to the council for Ward 2 or from seeking other elective office.
Her attorney said he believes the indictment was filed after Williams filed a civil suit in late 2011 to get reseated on the Forest Park City Council. He said the council erred in ousting Williams because in the 1990s the city amended its charter to go from seven to five council members, but it failed to amend the charter, which still said a vote of five is required to remove a council member. The vote to remove Williams was 4-0. The proper route would have been for the board to place Williams on the ballot to be recalled, Washington said.
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