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Jefferson County’s former Clerk of Courts Kirk Reams has been found guilty of theft

WFSU | By Adrian Andrews
Published August 27, 2024 at 1:27 PM EDT
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Gov. Ron DeSantis has filled four seats on a revamped 5th District Court of Appeal — including two new members who drew a legal challenge.

Reams has been found guilty of stealing more than $800,000 in public funds from the county.

A jury Tuesday morning found former Jefferson County Clerk of Courts Kirk Reams guilty of theft for his alleged role in stealing more than $800,000 in county money.

He and two other coworkers were accused of running a kickback scheme to help pay for non-office related trips and personal expenditures.

Ream’s co-workers, Warren 'Charles' Culp Jr., who was a financial consultant to the Clerk of Court, and Justin 'Tyler' McNeill, a former Deputy Clerk of Courts, took plea deals in exchange for their testimonies against Reams.

Tuesday’s jury found Reams guilty of theft, but not guilty of organized fraud.
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WFSU Local News criminal justiceJefferson County
Adrian Andrews
Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.

See stories by Adrian Andrews