Former Anadarko Payroll Clerk Katrina Pickens has become the latest public official in the four-county district to face embezzlement charges.

Pickens was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond Wednesday following her arraignment on the charge. She is alleged to have embezzled $189,000 dating from when she took office in November of 2006 to May of 2007, when the theft was discovered, said District Attorney Bret Burns.

Her next court date is July 19 for a preliminary hearing conference.

Burns said the case is another example of embezzled money in Grady, Stephens, Caddo and Jefferson counties being used for gambling debts.

“We're seeing a tremendous increase in the number of embezzlements and 95 percent of it has to do with gambling casinos,” said Burns, appointed as district attorney last year by Gov. Brad Henry. “Our position is if you are taking public money from taxpayers, then be prepared to go to jail.”

The dollar amount in the Anadarko case, Burns said, stems from an audit by the city’s own auditors.

That number is currently being confirmed by a independent investigation by the Office of the Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan.

The State Auditor’s Office is also auditing the accounts of the City of Minco. There, former City Clerk Sherri Bomgardner allegedly admitted to Minco Police Chief Tommy “Gus” Handke in May to having embezzled funds between January and March of this year. Bomgardner said she believes she took between $700 and $800 dollars of citation revenues to feed an undisclosed addiction problem.

At the time of her admission, Bomgardner did offer a check for restitution, according to the affidavit. She is currently out on a $2,000 bond and her preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 16.

Burns said the auditor and inspector's office has been “a terrific asset” in the investigations in Anadarko and Minco. Government offices have not been the only target of embezzlement. Officials at civic organizations have also felt the urge to put their fingers in the coffers.

Former Duncan Chamber of Commerce President Carole Scott is currently being prosecuted for embezzlement of funds.

“The chamber president in Duncan, just like Katrina Pickens, has admitted to a gambling problem,” the prosecutor said. He said Scott was scheduled to enter a plea in her case on Thursday in Duncan. Locally, former Festival of Light Treasurer Angie Jeffries has been charged with embezzlement for allegedly using more than $18,000 of organization funds to pay for personal debts.

Jeffries was charged in March on allegations that she had used Festival of Light money to pay on her personal American Express card from May of 2005 to September of 2006. She had served as treasurer of the organization for 14 years.

Jeffries is currently free on $50,000 personal recognizance bond and a preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 27. It has not even been a year yet, since Chickasha was first rocked by embezzlement from a public body.

In August of 2006, an investigation was opened into former YMCA Director Brad McAdoo. During his tenure McAdoo is believed to have embezzled approximately $30,000 from the organization of which District Attorney Burns was a board member.