Mississippi mayor arrested on embezzlement charges, accused of using city credit card to pay for repairs to personal vehicles

Terry Mayor Roderick Nicholson (3rd from the left)
Terry Mayor Roderick Nicholson (3rd from the left)
Terry Mayor Roderick Nicholson (3rd from the left)

TERRY, Miss. (AP) — Terry Mayor Roderick Nicholson was arrested Monday on embezzlement charges tied to accusations that he used a city credit card to pay for $2,700 in repairs to two personal vehicles, authorities said.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering and Attorney General Jim Hood said in a news release that Nicholson was arrested and booked into the Rankin County Jail.

“As an elected official, the public places a vote of confidence in you to always do what is best for those whom you represent,” Pickering said in the news release. “It is truly unfortunate when that trust is broken for personal gain.”

Nicholson is accused of having work done, at public expense, on two of his own vehicles on five occasions at dealerships in Brandon and Flowood.

Hood and Pickering said the auditor’s office served Nicholson in January with a demand for nearly $57,000, and he has repaid some of the money.

“The law does not discriminate, even when it comes to a public official,” Hood said. “Our residents deserve honesty and integrity in their representatives, and it’s a sad day when that trust is violated.”

The Hinds County district attorney recused himself from the case. Hood’s office sent the case to a Rankin County grand jury, which handed down the indictment.

Jail officials couldn’t provide the name of a defense attorney to comment on the charges.