A Roan Mountain woman faces multiple felony charges after she allegedly embezzled more than $300,000 from the attorney’s office where she worked.
Emilee E. Howard, 31, of 108 Roby Miller Road, Roan Mountain, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on indictments charging her with one count of theft over $250,000; two counts of theft over $10,000; and one count of theft over $1,000. A Carter County Grand Jury indicted Howard on the charges on Sept. 1.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, along with assistance from the Elizabethton Police Department, began an investigation into Howard’s activities at the request of 1st District Attorney General Tony Clark.
During the investigation, the TBI said its agents discovered that Howard, who was an administrative assistant for Elizabethton attorney David Crockett, was responsible for stealing more than $300,000 from the law office over a period of five years beginning in 2010.
According to the indictments, Howard is accused of taking more than $250,000 out of a an account belonging to Crockett at a local credit union and also removing more than $10,000 from one of Crockett’s accounts at another area bank. The indictment further alleges that Howard wracked up more than $10,000 in unauthorized expenses on one credit card belonging to Crockett and more than $1,000 in charges on another of Crockett’s credit cards. Howard no longer works for Crockett’s law office.
Howard turned herself in on the indictments Wednesday afternoon and was booked into the Carter County Detention Center. She was later released after posting a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Carter County Criminal Court on November 21 to be arraigned on the charges against her.