Blanchard City Officials Investigate Missing Money From City Hall

Adrianna Iwasinski, News 9

BLANCHARD, Oklahoma -- Blanchard city officials said they noticed Wednesday morning that money had disappeared from a safe inside city hall.

Blanchard City Manager Bill Edwards said a clerk went to the safe where they kept the city's cash drawer and money and discovered both were missing.

Blanchard police spent the morning at city hall, questioning employees and getting fingerprints to help eliminate possible suspects. The police chief said there were no signs of any forced entry but beyond that, not many other details were released.

"The only thing I can release at this point is obviously it's an ongoing investigation. It was discovered this morning and we're in the middle of the investigation," said Blanchard Police Chief Tom Linn.

Linn also said they are not sure how much money was taken at this time.

The missing money comes on the heels of some other controversy.

Earlier this month, News 9 reported how officers claimed they were being harassed and threatened by their chief and not being compensated for all the overtime they work. The Blanchard police chief, city manager, and city attorney all denied the allegations.

As a result of News 9's reports, city workers were told in an e-mail not to comment on any Blanchard city business matters. It appears that request was carried over into the missing money incident because when city workers were asked to comment on the matter, they said they were advised not to speak.

More:

• Blanchard City Attorney Backs Police Chief After Officers' Allegations
• Blanchard Police Chief Refutes Allegations of Coercion, Intimidation