GENEVA COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) – A retired employee returns to the Geneva County Circuit Clerk’s Office while authorities investigate suspected embezzlement and the ouster of the office’s boss.
Jane Fulford comes out of retirement to become acting clerk, overseeing day-to-day operations and handling election duties. Geneva County Presiding Judge William Filmore made the appointment, which Sheriff Tony Helms confirmed.
Fulford previously worked in the clerk’s office for years. Her return comes as the office faces an investigation into potentially missing funds that authorities suspect may have been stolen by Circuit Clerk Ashley Powell.
Geneva County Circuit Clerk Ashley Powell(AOC)
Filmore barred Powell from the office last month about the time agents with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office were in Geneva.
The attorney general’s office, citing policy, would neither confirm nor deny the investigation.
It is not known whether the case WILL be taken up at the next session on April 9 or at one of two other sessions scheduled later this year. Investigators could file charges and arrest Powell before any grand jury presentation.
Powell, while not allowed in the office, continues to draw her salary.
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