Chamber Employee Accused Of Embezzlement

A former employee at the Clayton Chamber of Commerce has been arrested.

On Thursday, Angela Carpenter, 42, of Enchanted Trail in Clayton was charged with felony theft, accused of taking $610 from the Clayton Chamber of Commerce between June 13th and November 7th, 2016.

The Chamber became aware of the possible theft after discovering irregularities in accounting and financial documents. Chamber leaders immediately contacted police.  Carpenter, who was the former Director of Operations for the Clayton Chamber, is now reportedly cooperating with Clayton Police.

“We are shocked and disappointed that this might have occurred,” said new Chamber President and CEO Dana Wooten, who began in December, a month after Carpenter left her job. “Stewardship is one of the core values of our organization and we take the trust granted to us by our members, supporters, and community very seriously. We are working closely with our staff and board of directors and have taken steps to strengthen and improve our internal controls and oversight of systems within the organization.”

Warrants were served on Carpenter after she turned herself in at the Clayton Police Department. She’s been given a $10,000 secured bond.