By John Howell
Former Como City Clerk Kara Killebrew is named in a 17-count indictment that alleges she stole over $16,000 from the town and was attempting to steal another $1,800 when a bank teller refused to cash a forged check.

Killebrew, 35, her husband, Marcus Wade Killebrew, 36, and John Stewart, 36 were arrested outside First Security Bank’s Southaven branch on April 24, 2014 after the teller’s refusal. An MBI agent told The Panolian following the arrests that Killebrew had been under scrutiny and the bank teller’s refusal prompted officers to consummate the arrest based on information that had already been gathered.

Killebrew is named solely in the count one of the indictment which alleges that on March 5, 2014 she cashed a Town of Como check for $672.32 made out to herself.

The indictment further alleges that from March 19 through April 10, 2014 she and Ronald G. Lyons Jr., 33, cashed four Town of Como checks totaling $6,925 with him as payee. Killebrew and Lyons are jointly named in four counts alleging uttered forgery and four counts alleging conspiracy.

The former city clerk and John Stewart are named in two counts that alleged uttered forgery on March 28 and March 31, 2015. Those two checks totaled $2,550.

The final count of the indictment alleges that Marcus Wade Killebrew joined his wife at the Southaven bank while John Stewart went inside to cash a hand-written check with him as payee. That count charges them with attempted uttered forgery.

The MBI investigator said that Killebrew forged the signature of Como’s mayor on the checks, which was required along with hers.

The Killebrews, of Senatobia, Lyons and Stewart were indicted April 29 during a term of the First Judicial District Panola County Grand Jury.