Clay County circuit court clerk suspended after pair of indictments
(The Center Square) – The Clay County circuit court clerk has been suspended after being indicted on charges of forgery, tampering with government records, official misconduct and soliciting unlawful compensation.
Susan Beth Birdwell is accused of photocopying a judge’s signature onto at least 117 expungement orders without the judge’s knowledge or approval.
Birdwell also is accused of retaining 497 expungement orders in an unsecure office location beyond the 60 days allowed by law. Then, after meeting with investigators Aug. 17 regarding the issue, she is accused of taking two additional binders of expungement orders and shredding all but seven without telling investigators. At that August meeting, she admitted it was wrong to have photocopied the judge’s signature.
Birdwell was indicted Nov. 10 in Davidson County by a grand jury for forgery, tampering with government records and official misconduct. She then was indicted Tuesday in Clay County by a grand jury on charges of unlawful compensation, misrepresenting information to a state auditor and official misconduct.
Birdwell was suspended Thursday and replaced by Jennifer Louann Ritter as clerk pro tempore.
The investigation from the Tennessee Comptroller’s office revealed Birdwell was accused of charging employees $82 a month to operate a traffic school, which she was not entitled to charge.
Birdwell also was accused of accepting $8,464 in cash payments and then paying the fees online with her personal credit card to the Tennessee Department of Safety. Birdwell is accused of collecting $169.28 in cash back rewards for the payments.
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