Former Sheriff’s Department Employee Indicted

• {Jackson, Kentucky}...Attorney General Jack Conway has announced the indictment of 36 year old Crystal Southwood, the daughter of Breathitt County Sheriff Ray Clemons, on 28 counts of forgery and one count of abuse of public trust. Southwood, a former employee of the Breathitt County Sheriff’s Department, was investigated after Conway's office received a referral from the state Auditor’s Office. Southwood is accused of forging the endorsement of the Sheriff on a total of 28 checks, 26 from law offices given in payment for serving subpoenas, one for payment of a gun license and one for a calendar advertisement, and obtaining the money from the checks as a public servant and diverting it to her own use. Southwood will be arraigned on February 24th. The charges against her carry a penalty of one to five years in prison each and a fine up to $10,000 for each count.