Embezzlement charges were filed Friday against mayors and trustees of two area towns.

Boynton’s mayor and town clerk and Council Hill’s mayor and his wife, a trustee, agreed to turn themselves in Monday to avoid arrest, said Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore.

Each charge filed is punishable by imprisonment in county jail up to one year and/or fines of up to $1,000, the court filings state.

Moore’s office also has been investigating town officials in Webbers Falls and a former town clerk in Warner.

He received a state audit on Warner last week and is almost ready to file charges against some present and former town officials in Webbers Falls, he said.

Too many small towns in the area are not complying with state laws, he said.

Boynton Mayor Marie Wilson and Town Clerk Victoria Wilson, were each charged Friday with misdemeanor embezzlement by an officer.

Neither could be reached for comment.

Each is accused of using a Staples credit card belonging to the town of Boynton to purchase laptop computers costing less than $500 that they allegedly took home and converted to their own personal use.

Two other town trustees, Roberta Walker and Claiborne Lang (the mayor’s brother), are charged with nepotism for voting to appoint Victoria Wilson to be the town clerk, a position of profit at a rate of $25 an hour.

Victoria Wilson is related to Mayor Marie Wilson within the third degree, court filings state.

Neither Lang nor Walker could be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Walker made the motion to hire Victoria Wilson at a special meeting in July. Lang and Walker voted for the motion, and the mayor abstained.

Council Hill Mayor Kenneth Mark McBride and his wife, Town Trustee Renee McBride, are each charged with two misdemeanor embezzlement counts.

An affidavit in the court filing alleges they have stored personal items in the old City Hall and in the Fire Department of Council Hill without permission of town officials.

Town residents first complained two years ago that the McBrides were then keeping cattle on municipal property where the town’s sewage lagoon is located, a violation of the town charter.

The couple declined comment at that time.

The McBrides could not be reached for comment Friday.



Reach Donna Hales at 918-684-2923 or Click Here to Send Email