Eufaula Mayor Dean Smith was charged Thursday in McIntosh County District Court with four felony counts of embezzlement, said Assistant District Attorney Greg Stidham.
Shortly after Smith was appeared on the charges, he issued a letter to Chief of Police Don Murray, ordering Murray suspended with pay until a Sept. 17 hearing.
In the letter to Murray, Smith said he is recommending Murray’s termination “for the good of the service.”
Murray could not be reached for comment.
Smith named Capt. Charles Hammett as acting police chief.
A hearing on Murray’s termination has been set for 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the city council chambers.
Smith is free on recognizance until an October hearing in his cases.
Stidham said the four counts involve misuse of a city credit card used for fuel charges.
For more on this story, ready Friday’s Phoenix.
