ANAHUAC \u2014 KFDM News has learned the Chambers County grand jury has indicted the former Anahauc Chamber of Commerce executive director on charges of stealing between $30,000 and $150,000, and possibly more, in funds that were linked to the longtime Gatorfest event, cancelled this year due to the scandal.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Brian Hawthorne tells KFDM News the Chambers County grand jury on Friday indicted 32-year-old Katelynn Smith for Misappropriation of Fiduciary Property, $30,000-$150,000.<\/p>\n
Deputies took her into custody and she was booked into jail early Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
The charge is a 3rd degree felony. If convicted, she could face 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.<\/p>\n
Smith resigned from the Anahuac Chamber in May.<\/p>\n
“This is still under investigation and very early in the investigative aspect of it,” Sheriff Hawthorne told KFDM News on Saturday. “We still don’t have a lot of the financial records we’ve subpoenaed. Others could be involved in this.”<\/p>\n
The chamber was intertwined with Gatorfest, Sheriff Hawthorne told us. The chamber disbanded, but a group of business owners is trying to keep a ‘placeholder’ for an event that would take the place of Gatorfest in 2027.<\/p>\n
“They’re hoping the chamber resumes and they have that placeholder,” said Hawthorne. <\/p>\n
Every year, Gatorfest brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the community.<\/p>\n
“The chamber is very deep in the red,” Hawthorne said. “They still owe vendors tens of thousands of dollars.”<\/p>\n
Sheriff Hawthorne wants to deliver a message to the community about the events that have unfolded.<\/p>\n
“We will continue to investigate and hold people accountable,” said Hawthorne. “The intent of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney is to hold people accountable for this failure of fiduciary trust the community gave them.”<\/p>\n
In previous KFDM reports, Sheriff Hawthorne told us investigators had subpoenaed American Express to review exactly what was purchased on the Anahuac Chamber of Commerce card.<\/p>\n
This is how the Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce introduced Smith to the community in an August 3, 2023 Facebook post:<\/p>\n
MEET THE POWERHOUSE BEHIND AACC<\/p>\n
And now, for our final introduction\u2014 Meet Katelynn Rose Smith, AACC Executive Director.<\/p>\n
Katelynn may not be a member of our board, but as the Executive Director and sole employee of the AACC, she orchestrates all office operations, event organization, and every other essential function that keeps AACC and Texas GATORFEST thriving. Being raised right here in our community, she has a deep-rooted connection and a genuine love for the people she serves. Her passion for making our community the best it can be is truly inspiring.<\/p>\n
Coming from a family of avid local volunteers, Katelynn\u2019s commitment to our community goes beyond her professional life. She is a passionate advocate for volunteerism, always ready to lend a helping hand wherever it’s needed especially when it comes to our local youth. Whether she’s coaching AYSO softball teams, serving on the Chambers County Ranch Rodeo Committee, or helping with the Annual Salt Bayou Shootout presented by Future Outdoorsman of Southeast Texas (just to name a few), Katelynn actively contributes to the betterment of our community. She firmly believes in investing in our youth, knowing that they hold the key to our community’s future. By nurturing the next generation, she hopes to ensure a vibrant and promising future for the Anahuac-Area.<\/p>\n
But what truly sets Katelynn apart is her unwavering dedication to our AACC members and local businesses. She recognizes that they are the backbone of our community’s economy and works tirelessly to support and uplift them.<\/p>\n
Katelynn is a fierce advocate for preserving our small-town values, even as our community experiences inevitable growth. She believes in embracing this growth to ensure the prosperity of our community and local businesses.<\/p>\n
WAIT, there’s more! Katelynn’s most cherished titles are those of a mom and wife. She is the proud mother of two incredible girls, eight-year-old Sawyer and three-year-old Austin. And let’s not forget her rock-solid partner in crime, her husband Jerrod, who stands by her side, supporting her every step of the way.<\/p>\n
And when she’s not busy spearheading initiatives at the chamber or volunteering, Katelynn can be found using her talents as a stylist at a local hair salon.<\/p>\n
We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated, passionate individual leading the charge and helping continuously propel AACC towards a brighter future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ANAHUAC \u2014 KFDM News has learned the Chambers County grand jury has indicted the former Anahauc Chamber of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":["post-784448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}