The most recent publisher of the Fayette County News is facing two felony charges for taking money and property from his previous employer in North Carolina, police said.

Scott Allen Williamson was arrested by Fayette County sheriff’s deputies Feb. 5 after warrants were issued for his arrest by the Tarboro, N.C. police department.
Williamson is charged with one count of embezzlement and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses, said Tarboro police Lt. Keith Hale. Both are felony charges, Hale confirmed.

Williamson specifically is charged with “misappropriating money that was entrusted to him” as part of his position with The Daily Southerner, Hale said.

The Tarboro police investigation began after the newspaper found financial irregularities while auditing their books, Hale said. The investigation probed issues found over a period of several months, he added.

According to Fayette County Jail records, Williamson was arrested Friday, Feb. 5, which coincides with his last day of employment with the Fayette County News, according to that paper’s Feb. 11 account of the arrest.

The Fayette County News reported that Williamson had worked at the local paper for just over two months.