A former Izard County judge was sentenced to six years in prison after admitting to using county funds to purchase equipment for his personal use. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 58-year-old David Sherrell pleaded guilty to criminal use of property, theft of property and two counts of forgery. He must also pay $35,000 in restitution to Izard County.
In the probable cause affidavit, an Arkansas State Police investigator reports Sherrell went to a local truck and equipment retailer to purchase two dump trucks for the county, and he allegedly purchased a used 20-ton trailer without authorization. The investigator says Sherrell asked the salesperson to increase the price of the dump trucks to include the price of the trailer allowing him to purchase it for free.
In June 2015, Sherrell reportedly signed two invoices for the trucks. He took personal possession of the trailer valued at $7,000 two days later. The next month, the Izard County Quorum Cort approved financing for the two trucks at a cost of $83,000. According to court documents, Sherrell never told the court the trailer’s price was included in the purchase.
Nearly four months later, Sherrell allegedly arranged for his son-in-law, Matt Orf, to sell the trailer to Izard County for $9,250.
Sherrell is also accused of purchasing a road grader for use on his farm. In June 2015, he went to another equipment retailer and selected two road graders valued at $143,000 and $20,00, but the investigator found a fraudulent invoice selling one road grader to the county for $163,000. A few days later, he presented the fraudulent bill of sale to salesperson Paul Shuttleworth who acknowledged the sale was fraud, but he signed it for fear of losing the sale.
Sherrell presented the purchase of the grader to the quorum court for $163,000. He reportedly did not disclose the cost included $20,000 for the second road grader.
Before he left office in 2016, Sherrell allegedly made several other purchases from a third equipment company.
Orf was charged with criminal use of property, and Shuttleworth is facing a count of second-degree forgery. They are scheduled to appear in court November 22nd.
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