Former Peak Clerk Crystal Cocker Charged with $70K Embezzlement

NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — Crystal D. Cocker, the former town clerk and treasurer of Peak, has been arrested and charged with embezzling over $70,000 in public funds.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after receiving a complaint regarding missing money from the town’s treasury. Officials found that Cocker had used at least $70,000 from public funds to pay for personal bills and purchases over a span of two years.

Cocker, 47, was apprehended in Union County, Georgia, and extradited to South Carolina. She faces charges of embezzling public funds exceeding $10,000.

Currently, Cocker is held at the Newberry County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.