Former Clay County Republican Election Director, Patricia “Patty” A. Lamb, has been apprehended in Montana and is currently awaiting extradition to Clay County. Lamb, who is accused of felony charges related to fraud and fraudulent use of a credit device, will be returning to face the legal proceedings against her.
A warrant for her arrest was issued after she failed to appear in court in the fall of 2024 to face the allegations. Court filings suggest that irregularities were identified in September 2023 while the Clay County Election Board was checking credit card statements from Lamb’s county business credit card and allegedly uncovered non-business-related charges. A forensic audit was conducted, revealing more than $15,000 in undocumented reimbursements, unlawful expenses, and additional payroll payments to her.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office contacted Belgrade, Montana police, who arrested Lamb. Lamb was booked into the Gallatin County, Montana Detention Center on Wednesday, February 19, according to the inmate registry.
The Clay County Election Board, which is appointed by the governor to administer elections in Clay County and is in charge of hiring and supervising a Republican and Democrat election director, placed Lamb on paid administrative leave while an investigation was conducted following the discovery of the 2023 issues. The board appointed Fox Forensic Accounting, a third-party agency, to perform a forensic audit of Lamb’s expense reports, credit card records, and wages between 2021 and 2024. The results were then communicated to the election board and its counsel.
“(The) report showed Ms. Lamb’s credit card had a total of $8,126.51 in non-business charges,” reads the probable cause statement.
Auditors also uncovered $1,336 in expense reimbursements for mileage without supporting documentation, $200 in unsupported petty cash payments, and two additional payroll payments to Lamb totaling $6,278.40 in April and May 2022.
The audit findings led to Lamb’s termination by the board on January 24, 2024. The probable cause statement stated that when investigators from the county sheriff’s office attempted to have an interview with Lamb about the charges, they discovered she had moved out of state.
Interim Republican Director Heather Hall took over as Republican election director in 2023, succeeding Lamb. Tiffany Ellison, the Democrat election director, told the Courier-Tribune that Hall departed his position in December 2024 and was replaced by Interim Republican Director Denise Hart. There are no more charges of impropriety against any other election director or the election board commission.
A call to Darla Wierzbicki, Chairman of the County Election Board, was not returned.
Other government leaders’ responses and what comes next
The charges against Lamb came to the attention of The Courier-Tribune when Jason Withington, a commissioner from Clay County, shared the details on Facebook on February 18.
According to the Courier-Tribune, Withington became aware of the charges when Clay County Auditor Victor Hurlbert reached out to the commission. Hurlbert wanted to discuss potential methods for the county to recover the funds that were reportedly lost as a result of the alleged fraudulent activities.
According to Withington, it is crucial for county officials to be trustworthy. He expresses his disappointment and embarrassment regarding the issues that have arisen within the county government. Withington emphasizes the significance of having trust in everyone at the county, particularly in the election board, as it holds a vital role.
The county commission does not have jurisdiction over the county election board as the election board operates independently with its own set of commissioners. According to the election board’s website, there are four commissioners appointed by the governor, with an equal representation of two Democrats and two Republicans. Republican commissioners Wierzbicki and Tom Brown, and Democratic commissioners Megan Word and Anthony Bologna serve on the board. The state’s website indicates that Word and Brown’s terms expired in 2023, Wierzbicki’s term expires in 2025, and Bologna’s term expired in 2013.
According to Withington’s Facebook post, the majority of the members on the election board have expired terms, and they are appointed by the governor. Withington believes that Governor Mike Kehoe should appoint new members to the election board.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, who represents part of Clay County, expressed her concerns about the charges against Lamb through social media platform X. She emphasized that the misuse of taxpayer dollars should never be tolerated and mentioned reaching out to the governor’s office regarding new appointments to this crucial board.
During an interview with the Courier-Tribune, Hurlbert mentioned that he became aware of the charges against Lamb when a member of his staff brought it to his attention last year. He took immediate action and approached the election board to ensure that the county would be reimbursed for the funds that were allegedly misused.
During a meeting with the election board, the individual emphasized the need for a fair distribution of operating costs. According to Missouri statute, these costs should be divided based on population between the county and the city of Kansas City. The objective was to retrieve approximately half of the amount and find solutions to prevent such occurrences in the future.
According to Hurlbert, he has discovered that the election board has been overestimating its census calculations. As a result, the county has been overcharged by more than $200,000 since 2020.
Hurlbert believes that the county should take on the role of fiscal agent for the election board. This would involve the county having oversight of checks and being responsible for writing them when it comes to election board expenses. The purpose of this change, according to Hurlbert, is to establish a clear separation of duties. By doing so, election directors would no longer have the ability to request reimbursements or payments for themselves and then approve those payments.
