Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office makes arrest in tax office theft case

ALBANY – A Dougherty County Tax and Tax Office employee was charged on Wednesday with 14 counts of felony theft by taking following an investigation of about a week by the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office.

Udashia Jones, 33, was being held at the Dougherty County Jail with no bond, Sheriff Kevin Sproul said.

Jones was in charge of preparing deposits of funds collected at the office, he said. The investigation was launched after county finance employees noticed discrepancies.

“The monies were not adding up to what the bank was receiving,” Sproul said. “She (Jones) admitted to some of them.”

The sheriff’s office’s Investigations Division interviewed multiple employees in the Tag and Tax Office during the probe.

“We had to interview everybody,” Sproul said.

In a statement, the Dougherty County government identified Jones as an accounting clerk supervisor.

“We want to assure the public that we are committed to holding individuals accountable for any misuse of public resources,” the statement said. “We take any allegations of misconduct seriously, especially when it involves public funds and trust. We are committed to upholding the integrity of public service.”

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