Newton County Glenn Hollingsworth was indicted last week by a Newton County grand jury on charges of selling his personally-owned tractor to his county beat for $25,000 during his first year in office.
The grand jury indictment indicates that Hollingsworth obtained public funds for the purchase of a Kubota M9000 tractor with a bush hog loader for $25,000 by “fraudulently failing to disclose a material fact, that he was the true owner of the property at a time when he (Hollingsworth) was serving as Beat 5 supervisor for Newton County, Mississippi, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.”
Newton County Administrator Steve Seale said the tractor was sold to the county on August 25, 2016. He said Hollingsworth Auction had submitted the low bid of $25,000. Davis Tractor in Meridian also submitted a bid of $30,000.
“We followed the law based on the information that we had at the time,” Seale said. “We had two quotes. (Hollingsworth Auctions) had submitted the low bid, and the county went with the low bid.”
Seale said the county has cooperated with investigators in the case. He also added that the county still has a tractor at the Beat 5 shop.
A demand letter worth $7,984.02 was issued to Hollingsworth at the time of his arrest. The total demand amount includes accrued interest and the cost of the investigation.
According to a press release by the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office, Hollingsworth “purportedly attempted to conceal the purchase by using family members to complete the transaction. Since Newton County still uses the beat system, Hollingsworth was able to closely manage expenditures like the purchase of the tractor, and his actions were reported when someone noticed purchasing inconsistencies in his beat.”
The demand letter was issued to Hollingsworth because he was unable to account for a number of items purchased in his beat. It is not related to the criminal charges against him.
“Officials should not and cannot use their elected positions to enrich themselves in this way,” said Auditor Shad White. “Credit goes to our investigators for identifying this scheme and making this arrest today.”
Hollingsworth surrendered to Special Agents at the Newton County Jail. He was released from custody after posting a $5,000 bond.
If convicted, Hollingsworth faces up to 5 years in the state penitentiary and $1,000 in fines. The case will be prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Steven Kilgore.
A $100,000 surety bond covers Hollingsworth’s term as supervisor. A surety bond is similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. He will remain liable for the full amount of the demand in addition to criminal proceedings. If convicted, Hollingsworth will no longer be able to hold public office.
