The Alexander City Outlook

Jackson’s Gap clerk indicted

The Jackson’s Gap town clerk was arrested and charged with theft of property Monday.

Teresa Freeman, 58, was indicted by a Tallapoosa County grand jury of first-degree theft of property for allegedly taking more than $2,500 from the Town of Jackson’s Gap, according to the indictment. Freeman was arrested Monday and released from the Tallapoosa County jail the same day on $10,000 bond.

Jackson’s Gap Mayor J.D. Ayers confirmed Freeman’s arrest and said she had been suspended from her duties as town clerk, a position she was held for almost 20 years.

“At this time she has been placed on suspension until March 9 when the town council meets,” Ayers said.

Tallapoosa County District Attorney E. Paul Jones said that as an employee of the city, Freeman should be held to a higher standard of conduct.

“We’ve had a surprisingly large number of employees recently who have taken funds from their employers,” Jones said. “A public employee is subject to a greater expectation of honesty than a private employee.”

This is not the first time Freeman has been accused of mismanaging town funds. In January 2009, The Alexander City Outlook reported Freeman paid $5,092 to the chief examiner of the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts after the department found the money missing during a town audit.

In 2004 she went to trial on charges that she stole $32,000 from the town in the form of business license fees and court fines that were paid in cash between October 1999 and November 2000, according to a 2004 Outlook article. Freeman’s defense claimed she overlooked the missing money because of stress and a mistrial was declared after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

According to the indictment, Freeman will be arraigned on March 22 and a trial date has been set for June 14.

Attempts to reach Freeman for comment were unsuccessful.