MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas (KLTV) — The mayor of Mount Pleasant, Tracy Craig, was arrested in connection with a scandal involving alleged theft by several city employees. The arrests have prompted the city council to convene in a special meeting to address the situation.
On Wednesday night, the city council held a special meeting with fewer than a dozen attendees, where some citizens made brief comments. Following this, the council went into executive session for approximately an hour. Afterward, the council unanimously appointed Kimberly Meek as the new city manager, effective March 10. Meek, the former city manager of Stillwater, Oklahoma, will replace Ed Thatcher, who is under indictment.
The arrests of five city employees, including Mayor Tracy Craig, have rocked the Mount Pleasant government. The individuals arrested also include former councilman Henry Nichols Chappell, current councilwoman Sherri Spruill, former councilman Galen Adams, and former city manager Ed Thatcher. All five have been indicted by a grand jury for misappropriating public tax dollars.
According to the grand jury’s February 20 indictments, the suspects allegedly submitted false claims for reimbursement of gas expenses, requesting thousands of dollars for travel that they did not actually incur. The indictments include detailed charges for each individual, with a total of 15 counts.
The breakdown of the indictments is as follows:
Indictment 1-3: Accused Thatcher of falsifying claims for Craig, Adams, and Chappell.
Indictment 4: Accused Thatcher of misappropriating $4,045.24 in funds on behalf of Craig, Adams, and Chappell.
Indictments 5-7: Accused Adams of stealing $4,552.56 across seven instances.
Indictments 8-10: Accused Chappell of stealing $4,552.55 across 11 instances.
Indictments 11-13: Accused Craig of stealing $8,401 across nine instances.
Indictments 14-15: Accused Spruill of stealing $9,800.13 across seven instances.
Adams, Spruill, and Chappell were booked on Monday. Adams and Chappell faced theft and misappropriation charges, each with bonds totaling $25,000. Spruill faced similar charges with a bond of $15,000. Thatcher was arrested on January 29, and all four bonded out the same day. Craig’s arrest occurred on Wednesday morning and was posted to the Titus County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, though his booking and bond information have not yet been made available.
In light of these developments, the Mount Pleasant City Council has scheduled additional meetings on Wednesday and Thursday evenings to discuss business and economic development. These meetings will include a public dialogue with the council, a presentation by the new city manager, and public comments.
