KS KS - Jonathan Clayton, 42, interim Peabody city clerk, failed to show up for work meeting, Peabody, 3 Aug 2024

[citizen_sleuth]

Kansas town's interim city clerk is missing

Jonathan Clayton was last heard from on Saturday, and a missing person's report was filed on Monday.

www.kake.com

<snipped>
Kansas authorities are looking for interim Peabody city clerk Jonathan Clayton.

He was last heard from on Saturday, and his husband filed a missing person's report on Monday.

KAKE News talked to Peabody mayor Catherine Weems on Friday, who says she talked to Clayton on Saturday over the phone.

"We spoke for a few minutes and had a good conversation. Had a good conversation, and then I was contacted later in the day saying he didn't show up for a meeting,” said Weems.

Weems says he's never been late to a meeting.

[...]

"We knew he was running errands before the meeting, and that was the last contact in the last communication,” said Peabody.

[...]

Court documents show in 2016, Clayton pleaded guilty to felony forgery and theft in Philadelphia. He was ordered to pay restitution of $210,000.

Weems says the city knew about Clayton's past, but decided to give him the role with the condition he would be limited to administrative duties and nothing to do with the city's money.

[...]

The missing persons report for Clayton says he is 6 feet tall, weighs 215 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes. If you have any information on Clayton's whereabouts, contact the KBI at 785-296-4017, or 1-800-KS-CRIME.

 

[GraceG]

Here is the court record for the case referenced in the missing article. 8 years old, no other criminal records in PA under his name and DOB. https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Repor...-CR-0021663-2016&dnh=9Hc2cQN6bgK88WtEg++1oA==

THIS is interesting. When the article in the opening thread above states the city knew about his criminal past when they hired them, it wasn't hiring him as a city clerk, it was hiring him as an animal control officer. He then became city clerk after the previous one was fired June 3. The missing man's husband is a city council member.

According to the article he still owes $195,000 in restitution for the criminal charges in PA. Felon acted as city clerk | Marion County Record | July 11, 2024 ()

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Missing in Kansas: Peabody's interim city clerk still missing

New information on a missing persons case from Peabody. The city’s interim clerk has been missing for more than ten days.

www.kake.com

<snipped>
His husband says he believes Clayton fled town, but he did not drain the couple’s bank accounts when he disappeared.

Both police and the city confirm investigators have access to his computer and no city money is missing at this time.

[...]

His husband says the whole town loved Clayton, and he’s probably experiencing issues with mental health.

 

[azure]

Peabody is a small town in central Kansas, with a 2020 population of 937.

Peabody, Kansas - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[citizen_sleuth]

LOTS of new information in this article:

Demand to repay $740,000 grant linked to clerk's disappearance | Peabody Gazette-Bulletin | Aug. 15, 2024 ()

• On July 25, the Kansas Department of Commerce told Peabody Main Street (a private group operating out of city hall) that it terminated a $1.5 million grant for failure to provide required reports
• On Aug. 5, the Kansas Department of Commerce sent a letter to Peabody Main Street requesting the first $740,000 installment of the grant back. Peabody Main Street received the first installment on June 15, 2023.
• The Kansas Department of Commerce set a deadline of Aug. 21 for the $740,000 to be reimbursed
• Peabody Main Street sent an email out to members on Aug. 12 stating that the second $740,000 grant installment would not be made because Clayton failed to file the necessary paperwork
• Peabody Main Street has said they are not aware of any grant funds being misappropriated and say they have sent documentation to the Kansas Department of Commerce
• An agenda packet for the City Council meeting on Aug. 12 contained an invoice from St. Luke Hospital that was paid with a city credit card bearing Clayton's name
• Kiowa County Sheriff Kendal Lothman disclosed that Clayton is under a separate investigation by authorities in Kiowa. Clayton and his husband lived in Kiowa County before moving to Peabody in 2023
• An email purporting to be from Clayton was sent to people in Peabody saying that if he disappeared or died, the Kansas Department of Commerce and its director, Lt. Gov. Dave Toland, should "be looked at"

 

[realanastasia]

LOTS of new information in this article:

Demand to repay $740,000 grant linked to clerk's disappearance | Peabody Gazette-Bulletin | Aug. 15, 2024 ()

• On July 25, the Kansas Department of Commerce told Peabody Main Street (a private group operating out of city hall) that it terminated a $1.5 million grant for failure to provide required reports
• On Aug. 5, the Kansas Department of Commerce sent a letter to Peabody Main Street requesting the first $740,000 installment of the grant back. Peabody Main Street received the first installment on June 15, 2023.
• The Kansas Department of Commerce set a deadline of Aug. 21 for the $740,000 to be reimbursed
• Peabody Main Street sent an email out to members on Aug. 12 stating that the second $740,000 grant installment would not be made because Clayton failed to file the necessary paperwork
• Peabody Main Street has said they are not aware of any grant funds being misappropriated and say they have sent documentation to the Kansas Department of Commerce
• An agenda packet for the City Council meeting on Aug. 12 contained an invoice from St. Luke Hospital that was paid with a city credit card bearing Clayton's name
• Kiowa County Sheriff Kendal Lothman disclosed that Clayton is under a separate investigation by authorities in Kiowa. Clayton and his husband lived in Kiowa County before moving to Peabody in 2023
• An email purporting to be from Clayton was sent to people in Peabody saying that if he disappeared or died, the Kansas Department of Commerce and its director, Lt. Gov. Dave Toland, should "be looked at"

So the missing person was publicly named and shamed for causing this “private group operating out of city hall” (what in the world?!) to lose state funding by his failure to provide required paperwork to the granting agency—sounds like a motive for self-harm to me, further compounded by the fact that an invoice for (what I presume is) the missing man’s medical treatment at St. Luke Hospital was shared with the public at the City Council meeting. If that treatment was for any kind of potentially embarrassing condition or for something that the community might have looked at with disdain, it would be pretty mortifying (I am not saying that the missing man was right to use a city credit card to pay for a private medical expense, of course).

Interestingly, the article explicitly states that the Commerce Department pulled this organization’s grant money because they found out about Clayton’s previous felony conviction, not (or not only) because he didn’t file appropriate paperwork for the grant to continue being disbursed.

Edited to add that I heartily endorse clicking the link and reading the full article—it is a real gem of journalism—local-level, dogged investigative reporting that isn’t afraid to call out shady goings-on and possible malfeasance in local government. I only wish more newspapers today carried this type of reporting.

 

[truthfinder2019]

A Day In The Life: Jonathan Clayton

Working from home for the first time? You might be wondering how others work from home. Read Jonathan’s story to find out more...

blog.belaysolutions.com

Felon acted as city clerk | Marion County Record | July 11, 2024 ()

Clerk latest to go in Peabody purge | Marion County Record | June 6, 2024 ()

Promoted to clerk, felon vanishes ... but then sends mysterious emails to townsfolk | Marion County Record | Aug. 15, 2024 ()

“…On Aug. 7, four days after Clayton went missing, an email purporting to be from him was sent to a number of people.

It said that if he disappeared or died, the Kansas Department of Commerce and its director, Dave Toland, were among people who should “be looked at.”

Department of Commerce spokesman Pat Lowry said the email has been read by Commerce officials. He made no comment on it….”

 

[azure]

This is a very interesting case. I have a friend who works for the Kansas governor, and the rumor has it that a three letter organization will soon be involved.

 

[GraceG]

This last article posted the 14th I think has some new information in it. Apparently the missing man was also under investigation by the Kiowa Co. Sheriff's office for something NOT pertaining to his being missing. Marion County RECORD

 

[citizen_sleuth]

This is a very interesting case. I have a friend who works for the Kansas governor, and the rumor has it that a three letter organization will soon be involved.

It sounds like an outside LE organization needs to get involved — MOO but it seems like the local government is either incompetent or corrupt based on the numerous conflicting statements made by the mayor and council members.

 

[LadyL]

sounds like it was all coming down to the wire where he would be exposed as committing fraud again and deceiving those who trusted him

 

[Knox]

Peabody is a small town in central Kansas, with a 2020 population of 937.

Peabody, Kansas - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Lol when I read the story I was like wait, what? Now it makes sense, very small pool ofemployee candidates to chose from. Apparently, no reason to take footbail unless something was going to come to light soon. Guess we wait and see?

 

[TravelingBug]

The article has been updated again. Lots and lots of other stuff added. I'm going to do a few separate posts because there's so much more info.

Some tidbits:

Stuff also coming up from his hometown now apparently and a lot of focus on ARPA funds:

Clayton’s husband, CK, said in an interview on Monday that Clayton is under investigation for his handling of money for the state of Kansas and while serving multiple board positions in his hometown of Mullinville, a small town west of Greensburg. The Kansas Department of Commerce said it’s assisting state and federal law enforcement...

He disappeared more than two weeks ago as his criminal history was becoming more widely known locally and his handling of American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds came under increased scrutiny.

This says Dept of Commerce didn't know about his felony record. That seems odd...I'd have thought surely they did a background check??

The Kansas Department of Commerce said the agency didn’t know about his felony record when it hired him.

“It’s appalling,” said Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat. “I don’t understand why the Department of Commerce would hire someone with a felony record … and place him into a position of responsibility, responsible for millions of dollars.”

Clayton and his husband opened a craft and antique store and the meetings he missed seemed to be related to that.

Clayton's husband says there have been "several surprise unpaid bills" that have come up now...

Clayton disappeared the same day that he and CK were served in a debt collection lawsuit, according to court documents. Newton Medical Center is suing the couple, seeking $335.95 plus interest, one of what CK described in an interview as several surprise unpaid bills that have surfaced since Clayton’s disappearance.

I find it really odd the Mayor wouldn't have looked to see when he started working for the city given all this investigation going on.

Clayton, after leaving the Kansas Department of Commerce, was hired by the Peabody police chief as the city’s animal control and health and safety officer at some point. Peabody Mayor Cathy Weems said she does not know exactly when he started working for the city. She later appointed CK to fill a vacancy on the City Council and on June 3 promoted Clayton to interim city clerk.

Seems like background checks in government roles in Kansas are quite lacking...

Weems said neither she nor anyone at the city of Peabody ran a background check on Clayton or CK and that Peabody did not learn of Clayton’s felonies or CK’s arrest until after she had appointed them. Clayton called her the night after he was appointed clerk to tell her, she said.

https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article291197795.html

 

[TravelingBug]

The email from Clayton on 8/8 that was said to allude to only going out after his death was apparently a regularly scheduled thing. He had to turn off the "send" thing each week.

Clayton’s sister, JF, said that her brother had scheduled the message to go out Thursdays at 9 a.m. unless he turned it off each week. In an interview, JF didn’t want to discuss the specifics of Clayton’s case but described him as someone unlikely to run.

CK talks a lot about not knowing much about Clayton's time at Commerce b/c Clayton worked out of town then, but it doesn't seem like CK is immediately thinking there's much credence to the Toland things Clayton said in the email. It seems like he's maybe chalking them up to the mental state Clayton may have been in when he wrote the email.

CK would not say whether Clayton shared with him the concerns about Toland and the Department of Commerce that were outlined in the mysterious email. “I have to understand, once he’s caught, what kind of mental state that he’s in,” CK said. “I would not say anything at this point negative about David Toland.”

https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article291197795.html

 

[TravelingBug]

At some point CK was arrested on charges related to all this stuff (awhile ago) and claims to not have had knowledge of what Clayton was up to.

CK was later arrested and released and all charges against him were dropped, he said in an interview. He said that Clayton acted alone and that he had “absolutely no idea” that Clayton was using vRide credit cards to fund the theater.

I found this interesting. It reads like he's feeling like he's also feeling like he's (CK) dealing with fallout for trusting Clayton also?

He (CK) and others apparently got Clayton help thinking it was a one time thing, but clearly more and more keeps unraveling that seems to be catching them by surprise (those that got him help)

Clearly Clayton was just keeping up good appearances if this many people trusted him and weren't suspicious stuff was going on again.

“He was very competent and very easy to put your trust in,” CK said. “And a lot of people are dealing with this right now because they trusted him. And when he initially did this, we thought it was just a one-time thing. We got him some help, and, you know, he seemed to be on the right track until all of this kind of exploded the last couple of weeks.”

His husband twice indicates really feeling like Clayton both needs to come home to get help, but also to be held responsible for what he's done.

While the fate of Peabody’s downtown revitalization remains in jeopardy, CK said he hopes Clayton comes home, gets help and is held responsible for his actions. CK said Clayton gave no indication that trouble might be coming or that he was about to disappear. “I wasn’t even suspicious until the day he went missing,” CK said.

I'm guessing speaking out is wise for CK to try to distance himself from what Clayton has done. But I can't imagine it's going to make Clayton more likely to go back home since this sure reads like CK is feeling really blindsided by stuff.

CK said Clayton’s sudden disappearance has left him in financial ruin. “My life is collapsing around me because there’s a lot of financial issues that he left behind and things I wasn’t aware of, and so I’m doing my best,” CKs aid. “He left everyone in shambles, including the Main Street board, the city office, and myself. We’re all struggling right now.”

He again reiterates Clayton needing to be found, getting help, and being brought to justice for any crimes he may has committed.

Really rare to see a family member of a missing person speak out this vocally, IMO.

“Our main concern right now is finding him, and if he has committed crimes, making sure that he’s brought to justice,” King said. “As much as we care about him and as much as we love him, we want to see him get some mental health help as well.”

https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article291197795.html

 

[azure]

At some point CK was arrested on charges related to all this stuff (awhile ago) and claims to not have had knowledge of what Clayton was up to.



I found this interesting. It reads like he's feeling like he's also feeling like he's (CK) dealing with fallout for trusting Clayton also?

He (CK) and others apparently got Clayton help thinking it was a one time thing, but clearly more and more keeps unraveling that seems to be catching them by surprise (those that got him help)

Clearly Clayton was just keeping up good appearances if this many people trusted him and weren't suspicious stuff was going on again.



His husband twice indicates really feeling like Clayton both needs to come home to get help, but also to be held responsible for what he's done.



I'm guessing speaking out is wise for CK to try to distance himself from what Clayton has done. But I can't imagine it's going to make Clayton more likely to go back home since this sure reads like CK is feeling really blindsided by stuff.



He again reiterates Clayton needing to be found, getting help, and being brought to justice for any crimes he may has committed.

Really rare to see a family member of a missing person speak out this vocally, IMO.

https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article291197795.html

"Less than a week after he was reported missing, Clayton claimed in an email purporting to be from him that his disappearance was related to his role in a “scheme” to steer pandemic aid toward pre-selected awardees at the direction of Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat who is also the Kansas secretary of commerce."

I heard from my friend at the governor's office last week that Clayton was accusing Toland of making him misappropriate pandemic aid.

A few problems with this. First of all, Clayton's felony convictions leave a dent in his credibility. If he was truly being pressured to do something he thought was wrong with pandemic aid funds, he should have immediately gone to a higher up or simply resigned so as not to be involved. Better to be unemployed than face additional charges if you're innocent.

Second, it's not entirely clear that this is illegal. The lt. governor's supposed pet project was a dilapidated theatre in his hometown, which does not seem to be a source of income or political power for him. Clayton claims he was pressured to serve on the theatre board with the lt. governor, but given that he embezzled funds to start a theatre company with his husband, that's obviously an area of interest for him.

Third and most important, it goes without saying that Toland did not pressure Clayton to use state funds to pay his medical bills, a serious accusation thrown out and never explained by earlier reporting. This would be fraud, it would be illegal, and Clayton's explanation re: Toland doesn't address it at all.

I guess I'm just confused why Clayton bothered to try to shift blame for something that is in the end maybe a serious error of judgment, while leaving his blatant fraud unexplained.

I'm not sure Clayton is around to explain himself, sadly. But given the lack of responsibility he's taken for his actions, who knows. As a Kansas resident, I hope a thorough and public accounting of misappropriated funds is made, and action is taken to prevent this in the future. One could argue that this man would not be missing if he weren't handed a golden opportunity to commit more fraud.