By Sydney Isenberg | Denver7
HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Colo. — The former town clerk of Hot Sulphur Springs is accused of embezzling more than $47,000 in town funds during her tenure.
Jessica Webb, 51, of Hot Sulphur Springs was arrested on Saturday for money laundering, theft, embezzlement of public property and first-degree official misconduct. She posted bond and was later released from the Grand County Jail.
Court documents show that Webb became Hot Sulphur Springs’ town clerk on February 21, 2019, and was fired in August 2023.
The investigation began on Oct. 11, 2023, when Mayor Ray Tinkum brought concerns to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. Due to the complexity of the investigation, detectives requested help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) High Tech Crime Unit.
According to Webb’s arrest affidavit, Tinkum spent months trying to get information on the town’s finances from Webb once he took office in November 2022. After gaining access in April 2023, he and current town clerk Katie Ladrig “noticed several discrepancies,” including alleged charges for massages and gas at the Mini Merc in Hot Sulphur Springs.
According to court documents, Tinkum told investigators that, against his wishes, the town board members and town attorney told Webb they would not report her to law enforcement if she agreed to pay the town $11,000. Webb agreed to pay that amount as long as the town released her retirement account. The town did not accept that condition, and an agreement was never reached, the affidavit states.