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Second Castor official charged with theft from township
BLOOMFIELD -- The president of the Castor Township submitted his resignation Monday, the same day he was charged with stealing two dump trucks from the township.
One week after Randall McCollum initiated an investigation into the alleged wrongdoings of the township’s trustee/ex-officio treasurer, Jacqulin Renea Bradshaw, he now finds himself facing charges.
The 31-year-old Bloomfield man was charged Monday morning with two Class D felonies of stealing and the Class B misdemeanor of commission of acts prohibited by elected officials. Charges were filed by Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver.
McCollum is accused of using deception to wrongfully obtain ownership of two dump trucks, a 1994 International and a 1993 International, both of which were property of the township.
McCollum also is accused of personally providing dump truck hauling services to the township, in excess of the statutorily authorized limits. The services were not put out for public bid, officials said.
McCollum submitted his letter of resignation Monday morning to the Stoddard County Commission as he “simultaneously” was arrested, Oliver said.
The Castor Township board will meet at 6 p.m. today, following McCollum’s resignation and a judge’s order Monday removing Bradshaw from her trustee/ex-officio treasurer position.
The county commission will hold a special meeting at the same time, and a replacement for Bradshaw is expected to be appointed.
Once that appointment is made, McCollum’s resignation is expected to be accepted by the township board.
McCollum, who was released after posting a $20,000 cash or surety bond Monday morning, is to appear at 9 a.m. Thursday before Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield for arraignment on his charges.
Bradshaw also is to appear Thursday before Satterfield for a review of her case. She is charged with the Class D felony of stealing.
Bradshaw is accused of stealing $16,831.81 in the form of 30 checks from the Castor Township in the last eight months.
On July 30, members of the Castor Township board of directors, including McCollum, and its clerk reportedly met with Oliver and his investigator Tim McCoy regarding a large sum of money missing from one or more bank accounts belonging to the township.
The township officials reportedly presented financial documents, which alleged misappropriation of funds by Bradshaw.
An investigation was initiated by the prosecutor’s office and the Bloomfield Police Department regarding the “operation and finances of the Castor Township,” Scott Allen, assistant chief of the Bloomfield Department of Public Safety, wrote in his probable-cause affidavit. “During this investigation, investigators discovered that ownership of a 1993 International dump truck … and a 1994 International dump truck … were transferred to the president of Castor Township, identified as Randall McCollum, without putting the trucks up for public bid.”
The transfer was made to McCollum “under the disguise that both trucks were beyond repair and inoperable,” Allen said.
McCollum led fellow board member, Steve Larsen, to believe the trucks were junk, with no monetary value, “leading Steve to sign off on the transfer of the truck,” Allen said.
Rather than junking or disposing of the dump trucks, Allen said, McCollum obtained a “standard title” for the trucks.
The 1994 International dump truck, according to Allen, was used for McCollum’s personal company, McCollum Trucking.
Allen said Missouri Department of Revenue records showed that after ownership was transferred to McCollum, “rather than obtaining a junk title, (he) titled the vehicle in his name on Feb. 16, 2017.”
McCollum then allegedly traded the truck for an end-dump trailer June 18, 2017.
“Per Department of Revenue records, both parties (McCollum and Paul Clary) valued the trailer at $10,000 at the time of the trade,” Allen said.
Clary, Allen said, later sold the 1994 dump truck Aug. 28 for $16,000.
On Monday, investigators spoke with Clary, who reported he approached McCollum about trading his end-dump trailer for the 1994 International dump truck, Allen said.
“According to Mr. Clary, the dump truck was (a) good truck that started and ran well,” Allen said. “(He) stated he and McCollum valued his end-dump trailer at $22,000, and the two also agreed and valued the 1994 International dump truck at $12,000.”
Allen said Clary further reported he used the dump truck in his trucking business and that it was “a good solid truck.”
When Clary was asked what he had to fix on the truck to operate it, his response was that he “just changed the oil, cleaned it up and put tires on it.”
Allen said Clary confirmed he sold the truck a few months later for $16,000.
After putting the truck on Craigslist, Clary reported it “sold fairly quickly.”
Department of Revenue records, Allen said, also showed McCollum obtained ownership of the 1993 International dump truck on March 16.
“Although the vehicles were represented by Randall to be inoperable junk, the investigation revealed the 1993 International dunk truck was in operation and used by Castor Township within a few months of transfer,” Allen explained.
McCollum allegedly still is in possession of that truck.
During the investigation, Allen said, officers also learned McCollum allegedly was using his personal trucking company to haul rock from Cape Girardeau to the township’s shop located at Bloomfield for monetary gain.
Allen estimated that monetary gain to be in excess of $7,100.
“This service was never put out for bid,” Allen said.