Former Lincoln County Judge Accused Of Embezzlement, Theft

A former Lincoln County judge, involved and criticized in a highly publicized child abuse death case, is now accused of embezzlement and theft.

Friday, April 19th 2013, 7:37 pm

By: News 9


A former Lincoln County judge, involved and criticized in a highly publicized child abuse death case, is now accused of embezzlement and theft.

Craig Key is no stranger to being put under the microscope. But now a multicounty grand jury has indicted him, accusing him of cattle rustling, embezzlement, and forgery.

We knew something was up, when we saw investigators raiding his law offices last month. We were there outside Craig S Key's Law office on Main Street in Chandler on March 21, as both investigators with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture served a sealed searched warrant.

Neighbors we talked to then say they saw investigators leave with a lot of boxes.

"Just a bunch of cars, just outside of the office, parked up to the street," said Allyson Ledgerwood, who lives right across the street and noticed all the activity when she came home that afternoon. "That's pretty much it, people in and out."

She, like everyone else in Chandler, wanted to know what investigators found inside this small city law office to warrant so much attention.

Now we know.

Late Thursday night, these indictments were handed down, accusing former judge Craig Key of stealing money from his clients, and stealing cattle and an expensive stock trailer from a Chandler man.

Court papers state Key forged his clients signatures, as well as others, without their permission, and used money that was supposed to pay for his client's medical bills for other purposes.

The total amount embezzled? $71,683 total. Court papers go on to say that Key conspired with at least two other people, and took a total of 13 heads of cattle and a stock trailer from that Chandler man, and then tried to sell them to the Waurika Livestock Commission Company in Jefferson County.

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