A former Jefferson County clerk officer may have run off after being released from jail on bond.
52-year-old Warren “Charles” Culp Jr. along with two other court employees, were involved in a fraud scheme where they allegedlystole more than $800,000 dollars from the county.
Mike Harrison of Harrison Bail Bonds told WFSU that the defendant’s wife sent him a message saying that he was gone. Harrison said if it weren't for that, he would have no idea what happened to Culp—especially since Culp testified in court two days prior that he would stay settled in Florida and Georgia and would comply with the terms of his $17,000 bond.
“Sometime Friday night, early Friday morning, he packed some kind of bag and absconded," Harrison explained.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating the alleged crime back in 2021, after receiving reports from the county that Justin McNeill, former Jefferson Clerk of Court Kirk Reams, and Culp used the county’s credit card to pay for personal expenses. All three were employed by the clerk of court’s office at the time.
"If the allegations are true, it was a breach in trust on his part," said Harrison. "He was trusted to be in that to handle taxpayers’ money and decided to take advantage of that situation.”
Culp is still scheduled for a third court appearance in November to hear the extent of his charges.
It's not known if he's still in Florida or Georgia, as specified in the terms of his bond. But if Culp does not show up for court, he could face additional charges.