(TN Comptroller’s Office)
An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has resulted in the indictment of Joyce Parsons, the former administrative assistant for Carter County’s Head Start program. Investigators determined that Parsons used Head Start credit cards to make at least $8,657 in unauthorized personal purchases including clothing, groceries, cosmetics, household goods, and personal hygiene products. Parsons admitted that she made the purchases and told investigators that she signed other employee’s names to her receipts to conceal her activities. Parsons was suspended without pay on January 22, 2020 and her employment was terminated on April 13, 2020. In July 2021, the Carter County Grand Jury indicted Joyce Grace Parsons on one count of theft over $2,500.