In a press release, Attorney General Luther Strange announced the arrest of Myrtle Norton, 75, of Odenville, a former court clerk of Argo. Norton, who surrendered to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office Thursday, was arrested for felony charges of first-degree theft and an ethics law violation. She is currently free on $5,000 bond.
Strange’s office presented evidence to a St. Clair County grand jury on Feb. 28, resulting in Norton’s indictment, the release states. Specifically, the indictment charges Norton with “two counts of first-degree theft of checks or currency that was the property of the Town of Argo, with each of these two counts involving theft of more than $2,500; and, with one count of violating the ethics law by intentionally using her official position as a Town of Argo public employee for the unlawful personal gain of currency or checks which were the property of the Town of Argo.”
Argo mayor Paul Jennings said Friday that he could not comment on the matter, except to say that his office has complied fully with the investigation.
“After finding there was some discrepancies, we turned it over the legal department, and we’ve cooperated fully to try to bring this to a close,” Jennings said.
Norton, who was employed by the town for 10 years, has not been employed since October 2010, according to the mayor. Andrea Jennings, who has served as city clerk since 2008, was officially named court clerk in December 2011.
If convicted, Norton faces a penalty of 2-20 years of imprisonment and fines of up to $30,000 for each of the three charges, which are class B felonies.
Contact Will Heath at wheath@thestclairtimes.com.
