Former City Clerk, Husband Sentenced in Theft Case

A former Kuttawa city clerk and her husband will both be spending several years in prison for their roles in the theft of more than $30,000 from the city's bank account.

Court records show Judge C.A. Woodall sentenced Katie Harrison Monday to nine years in prison on 24 counts of second degree forgery, abuse of the public trust, tampering with physical evidence, theft by unlawful taking over $10,000 and theft by deception over $500. Her husband Clayton Harrison was also sentenced to three years on 10 counts of second degree possession of a forged instrument, theft by unlawful taking over $10,000 and theft by deception over $500. The Harrisons were also ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution.

Charges against the couple stemmed from $31,000 they reportedly stole from the City of Kuttawa during Katie's time as Kuttawa's City Clerk. They both accepted plea deals in December.

All of the charges followed a Kentucky State Police investigation in August 2018, after officials discovered financial irregularities in two different Kuttawa city accounts. Police found and arrested the couple in Sevier County, Tennessee in November 2018.