The former municipal judge for the City of Lone Oak has been indicted for allegedly stealing money from the city.
The Hunt County grand jury issued a sealed indictment June 26 charging Lisa Marie Brown on one count of abuse of official capacity. Brown, 56, was taken into custody on the indictment Monday and was released Tuesday on $20,000 bond.
The indictment was unsealed following Brown’s arrest. An arraignment hearing on the charge had not been scheduled with the 196th District Court as of Thursday.
Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said his office conducted the investigation.
“We were contacted by the Lone Oak Police Department in September of 2014 about discrepancies found in financial records belonging to the City of Lone Oak,” Meeks said. “Our Criminal Investigation Division began an investigation into the discrepancies. We completed our investigation and turned all evidence over to the District Attorney’s Office.”
The indictment alleged that on or about Feb. 18, 2014, during the time Brown served as municipal judge, she “intentionally or knowingly misused government property”, which belonged to the City of Lone Oak, “by withholding cash deposits, or diverting the money for personal use.”
The amount of the allegedly misappropriated funds was said to be between $1,500 and $20,000.
The charge is punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of up to two years in a state jail and a optional fine of up to $10,000.