Former Jones County road foreman, contractor plead guilty

JACKSON, Miss. — A former Jones County road foreman and a contractor pleaded guilty to felony charges after a scheme to remove county-owned culverts and transport them to a location provided by the contractor, State Auditor Shad White announced.

Richard Creel pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement, and Tommie Landrum pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit and one count of accessory before the fact, the auditor’s office said. Both were prosecuted in Jones County Circuit Court.

Creel was sentenced to five years of post-release supervision and ordered to pay $4,925.24 in restitution and $2,927.50 in fines. Landrum was sentenced to five years to serve, with two years suspended after completion of three years of non-adjudicated probation, and was ordered to pay $2,462.62 in restitution and $2,927.50 in fines.

“The dedicated team at the State Auditor’s office has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud and we will continue to work with prosecutors to get record results for taxpayers,” State Auditor Shad White said. The auditor’s office said suspected fraud can be reported online via a red button on its website or by calling 1-(800) 321-1275 during business hours. We will provide more information as it becomes available.