A letter addressed to Bates County Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley from Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick dated June 21, 2023 outlines a complaint alleging “taxpayer funds are being used for the costs of purchasing, maintaining, and care of horses that are being used for personal use.”
The letter, prompted by a complaint received via the Whistleblower Hotline, goes on to say that the unnamed complainant is also concerned that the county is reimbursing the Bates County Sheriff for the purchases rather than directly paying for county expenditures.
While the letter was addressed to Wheatley, Sheriff Chad Anderson confirmed he had also received a copy and will provide all information requested from his office.
Action requested by the Auditor includes providing canceled checks for any and all expenditures related to the purchase, maintenance, and care of the horses; providing an explanation of how the horses are used for county business and are a reasonable and necessary expense for the county; copies of all canceled checks written to Sheriff Chad Anderson for reimbursements between March 1, 2022 and August 31, 2022; and copies of all invoices and receipts to support the canceled checks as mentioned previously.
In a conversation with Anderson, he stated “We welcome the auditors oversight and will be completely transparent. They will receive our full cooperation.”
It is unknown exactly how long it will be before the results of the audit will be available; Mid America Live will be reporting accordingly.
