Judge says ex-mayor can stand trial on embezzlement charge

ARDMORE, Okla. (AP) – A judge says the former mayor of a small town in southern Oklahoma can stand trial on an embezzlement charge.

Prosecutors accused former Gene Autry Mayor Katherine McQuistion of embezzling $132,800 from the town’s coffers. District Attorney Craig Ladd says investigators believe McQuistion made unauthorized cash withdrawals from the town’s bank accounts from January 2014 to January 2015.

The Daily Ardmoreite newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/1YZjLEP ) that Special District Judge Carson Brooks ruled Tuesday that there was sufficient evidence for McQuistion to stand trial on the embezzlement charge, and he scheduled a formal arraignment for June 22.

McQuistion was the only municipal official in the town of Gene Autry, which is located in Carter County. She resigned last year.