Michelle L. Brown, 54, a former Waynesville, Missouri city clerk of eight years, faces a felony stealing charge after investigators say she diverted more than $35,000 from the city's Route 66 Hogs and Frogs Festival into an unauthorized personal bank account. Investigators say she opened the account in 2023 under the name Route 66 Hogs and Frogs Festival, LLC, without city authorization, depositing $35,874.25 between March 2023 and October 2025. The city administrator told investigators the festival was entirely city-funded and that Brown was never authorized to set up a separate account.
Bank records reviewed by a forensic accountant reportedly show personal purchases on Whatnot, eBay, Walmart, Amazon and fast food, along with transfers to her personal checking account. Brown told investigators she created the LLC because she believed the festival wasn't affiliated with the city once she'd built a business around it, though she also acknowledged she shouldn't have spent the money in its final year, citing financial difficulties. She resigned in November 2025.
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