Rogers County Court Clerk Facing Counterfeiting Charge

The Rogers County Court Clerk is facing a misdemeanor counterfeit charge.

News On 6 learned Kim Henry was charged for publishing a counterfeit instrument.

According to an affidavit, the $20 bill in question was first noticed by an employee of the Rogers County Court Clerk's Office in July 2017.

The affidavit says Henry said she would take the bill to the Treasurer's Office, where it was then rejected from a counting machine and confirmed by an employee of the office to be counterfeit.

At some point, the affidavit says, Henry asked her staff if they wanted drinks and, after orders were taken, Henry announced "loudly enough for other employees to hear, that Defendant [Henry] gave the counterfeit bill to pay for the drinks. Defendant told employees in the Office that the transaction would stay within the Office."

On July 18, 2017, Claremore Police responded to the restaurant after a report of a counterfeit bill.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation eventually interviewed Henry who said the $20 bill was rejected by the Treasurer's money processing machine, that it was later used to buy the drinks, and that "she used the bill because there had been no 'confirmation' that the bill was counterfeit. Defendant asserted that all she knew was that the bill had not passed the money processing machine," the affidavit says.

Henry said she told an officer with Claremore Police the bill could possibly be counterfeit and asked if the bill needed to be turned in, according to the affidavit. She then said the deputy told her the bill couldn't be confirmed as counterfeit, so she put the money with the petty cash, which, according to the affidavit, is not allowed.

OSBI interviewed the officer who said he couldn't recall the conversation, "However,...told OSBI that he would tell citizens that if there was a question as to a bill's authenticity that it should taken to a bank to verify its authenticity...he would never tell anyone to spend money that was suspected to be counterfeit, and that any suspect bills should be verified as legal tender before being spent."

The affidavit says Henry also spoke with an investigator for the Rogers County District Attorney's Office, who said that if the bill wasn't verified as counterfeit, that the money would not be recouped and that she should spend it.

That employee "adamantly denies having told Defendant that if Defendant was not positive that the bill was counterfeit that it should be spent," according to the affidavit.

Henry was first elected to office in November 2012, beating out an long-time incumbent. She then ran unopposed in 2016, being elected to another four-year term.

Henry's attorney said she will be off the job through April 5th.

The county commissioners have an item on their agenda about Henry for next Monday, in executive session.