The Craighead County clerk was arrested on felony theft charges Monday morning.
Kade Holliday was arrested on Monday, June 29 and had multiple felony charges filed against him. Scott Ellington, the prosecuting attorney for the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas, announced that Holliday will be facing theft of property in excess of $2,500 charges as well as an abuse of office charge.
In addition, Ellington is reportedly petitioning the circuit court to have Holliday removed from office.
According to the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office website, Holliday has been charged with “embezzling funds or property from the School of the Deaf, the Blind or stat.” He was arrested at 10:56 a.m. on Monday., based on the website.
In a statement, Ellington said that he had been contacted by Craighead County Marvin Day and officials from the Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit, who discovered questionable bank records related to one of Holliday’s county clerk accounts. The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigative Division subsequently opened up an investigation, which is still ongoing.
“On Thursday, June 25th, I received an urgent phone call to meet with Craighead County Judge Marvin Day and auditors with the Division of Legislative Audit. The auditors had obtained and examined bank records that raised suspicion of theft of county funds from an account Holliday maintained in his official capacity as county clerk. We then met with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division and requested they open the investigation which led to Holliday’s arrest. The investigation is ongoing and further details are limited, Ellington said.
Holliday has served as the county clerk for Craighead County since January 2013 after running for the position in 2012 as a member of the Green Party, beating incumbent county clerk Nancy Nelms. He later switched to the Republican Party.
Holliday holds two degrees from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro – a bachelor’s degree in banking, corporate, finance and securities law and a master’s of business administration. A 2019 A-State press release stated that he was working toward a doctorate degree in educational leadership.
He announced plans in 2019 to give $500,000 to establish an endowed professorship of jazz studies and an endowed scholarship for outstanding students in the jazz program.
Arkansas Money & Politics has reached out the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
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