On April 21, the former clerk of Hot Sulphur Springs accused of embezzlement made her first appearance in Grand County court.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jessica Webb, 51, on April 5. The 17-month investigation ended with her arrest on the following violations of Colorado Revised Statutes: money laundering (a Class 3 felony), theft (a Class 4 felony), embezzlement of public property (a Class 5 felony) and first-degree official misconduct (a Class 1 misdemeanor).

Webb was released on a $5,000 bond on April 5.

Appearance on bond

The town of Hot Sulpur Springs, the plaintiff, has accused Webb of embezzling over $47,000 from the town.

Webb met virtually with members of the Grand County District Court on April 21, including Judge Nicholas Catanzarite and Chief Deputy District Attorney Kathryn Dowdell. She is being represented by attorney Heather Stein of Stein Legal Services, LLC.

During her court appearance, Catanzarite, Stein and Dowdell agreed that Webb’s next court date would be June 10. Stein requested this long time period between appearances so that she can make progress on discovery in the case. According to Stein, the discovery amounts to 800 pages. She also plans to review body cam footage, she said.

Judge Catanzarite issued a protection order for the town of Hot Sulphur Springs staff, stating that Webb cannot harass or tamper with any witnesses.

Details of the case

According to an affidavit presented to the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office on April 4, Webb made unauthorized charges using town funds over a period of several years. The town of Hot Sulphur hired Webb as its clerk in February 2019 by former mayor Bob McVay. She resigned on Aug. 3, 2023.

According to the affidavit, “she placed a total of $47,820.99 of unauthorized charges on the Town’s business Visa card for retail establishments. Webb also utilized the same Visa card to pay the utility bills for her personal residence and family medical bills.”

On Nov. 17, 2022, trustee Ray Tinkum became mayor.

The affidavit states that Mayor Tinkum soon asked Webb to provide him with the town’s financials, including bank statements and credit amounts, yet Webb initially refused to show him this requested information. Five months later, they finally got access to the records.

“During the month of April 2023 Tinkum along with the current town clerk, Katie LaDrig were able to gain access to several of the credit card statements and immediately noticed several discrepancies on the account,” the affidavit continues.  

Following this discovery, town staff debated on how to investigate the issue. An initial agreement to have Webb pay back the town $11,000 fell through. According to the affidavit, this agreement “was against (Tinkum’s) wishes.”

Some town board members recommended going to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, while others recommended the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. When neither decision was made, Tinkum contacted the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office initiated an investigation following a meeting Oct. 11, 2023 with Tinkum and town staff. Sheriff’s investigators requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation High Tech Crime Unit. According to the affidavit, a CBI agent was assigned to the case, which took 17 months due to its complexity.

Investigations revealed that Webb’s charges ranged from purchasing gas, children’s toys and clothing, to paying for medical bills at the Kremmling Hospital. The town showed evidence that Webb submitted only “one expense reimbursement during her employment,” the affidavit states.

As town clerk, Webb took an oath of office and became a public servant for the state of Colorado, the affidavit continues. As a public servant, she was the custodian of the town’s records, which also gave her access to financial records.

Investigators reviewed these records, as well as bank statements, the town’s Visa card statements, direct deposit forms and other evidence of charges that the town stated were unauthorized and fraudulent.

When contacted by Sky-Hi News, Stein Legal Services stated it is unable to comment on the case at this time.