Video: Itawamba County Chancery Clerk Ordered to Repay More than $500,000

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ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — The state is ordering Itawamba County Chancery Clerk Jim Witt to repay more than $500,000.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering said Witt didn’t steal the money, instead he is accused of bad bookkeeping.

Pickering said the money was lost from those who bought property through delinquent tax sales, and the funds were never put back when the land was redeemed by original owners.

Witt has 30 days to repay more than $503,000. If he doesn’t pay it back, the state will pursue civil charges to recover the funds.

“At the end of the day, we had individuals who weren’t made whole, some individuals where money was not paid appropriately, and unfortunately, have to be held accountable,” Pickering said. “When you ask for the public’s trust, as an elected official in Mississippi, you’re expected to hold and uphold that trust, and unfortunately, our investigation has shown Mr. Witt has not done that, so we will be going against his bond and pursuing civil action against him personally.”

Pickering estimates Witt’s bond, which public officials are required to hold, should cover around $300,000.

The investigation took about a year.

Witt is still in office.