Former Bladen officials indicted
A grand jury has indicted four former officials in Bladen County on charges that they misappropriated public funds, authorities said Friday.
Posted — UpdatedFormer Fire Marshal Mitchell Gerald Byrd, 51, of 1340 River Road in White Oak, was charged with 25 counts of obtaining property by false pretense in connection with alleged offenses between November 2005 and March 2009.
Sandra A. Baldwin, 52, of 113 McKay St. East in Elizabethtown, a former counselor for Bladen County Vocational Rehabilitation Services, was charged with 17 counts of obtaining property by false pretense in connection with alleged offenses between August 2009 and June 2010.
Kelly Ard Smith, 41, of 222 Turtle Cove Drive in Elizabethtown, the former vice president of finance at Bladen Community College, was charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretense in connection with alleged offenses between July and December 2010.
Former Bladen County Schools Superintendent Gregory Alan Killingsworth, 59, of 3599 Barbary Bluff in Hope Mills, was charged with one count of obtaining property by false pretense in connection with a July 2010 incident.
Authorities didn't provide details of the alleged offenses.
"It is vital to hold public servants accountable for their behavior. No one is above the law, particularly those of us who have been entrusted with the public’s confidence," Bladen County District Attorney Jon David said in a statement.
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