Former Ludowici city clerk faces felony theft charge

LONG COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Long County Sheriff’s deputies arrested former Ludowici City Clerk Tina Skipper Tuesday afternoon on one felony count of theft by taking.

The arrest comes after Skipper was fired for cause by the city in November.

READ HERE: Ludowici city clerk fired with cause

New documents released to WTOC detail the reason for her firing. The Ludowici City Attorney said in her termination paperwork that the city discovered she paid herself more than $10,000 more than her rate of pay during October and November.

As city clerk, Skipper was in charge of city payroll. City Attorney Luke Moses said he warned Skipper multiple times this violated the law.

Moses said council members questioned Skipper’s pay after a routine review of bank records. At a specially called meeting on November 20, the council voted unanimously to terminate her employment.

Whitney McGowan now serves as interim city clerk.

Skipper’s attorney claims in an email she was fired for “stigmatized reasons.” Skipper was a city employee for over a decade.

Skipper was released on a $25,000 bond.