Top 5 Stories of 2009 - No. 1 Public officials arrested in 7 PTS

By ART LAWLER

The 2009 number one story left residents reeling.

The story of the year is the lengthy investigation and eventual arrest of Seven Points Mayor Gerald Taylor and City Judge Monica Corker.

After an initial investigation began July 10 when the FBI converged on the Volunteer Fire Department in regards to missing financial documents which were reported stolen.

Two subpoenas were issued to Fire Chief Joe Dobbs in the fire department, and City Secretary Debbie Mosley at city hall to provide financial records for the last three years.

The authorities confiscated files, documents and a computer hard drive from Dobbs’ office.

During this time Taylor, who was also Assistant Fire Chief, was voted out of his position as assistant fire chief, but immediately reinstated due to a need for his assistance in financial matters.

FBI officials came back some time later and took hard drives from the computers at city hall.

The atmosphere in Seven Points became even more tense over the next couple of months.

First with the firing of Chief of Police Tim Meadows, then a heated meeting of fire department officers where threats were made and harassing name calling broke out.

On November 5, City Judge Monica Corker was arrested by the FBI, Texas Rangers, officials from the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at the home of a Seven Points resident.

The arrest came after Tasha Fink, a friend of Corkers, overheard the judge telling police officers that the city’s laptop’s information had been erased.

Corker was charged with Abuse of Official Capacity, a third degree felony.

Upon searching her purse however, authorities located an item which resulted with a second felony charge of fraudulent possession of identifying information.

Corker posted bond on both charges and was released.

Then on December 4, one month after Corker’s arrest, Gerald Taylor was arrested and charged with the same abuse of official capacity charge.

This came after Corker admitted to authorities that she on occasion “took money collected as fine money for citations and warrants, to give to her children.”

She later admitted that after taking the money, she would immediately write a personal check to replace funds a “tremendous amount of times.”

Corker also told authorities that she cashed checks for Taylor out of the courts money.

Taylor then admitted to cashing checks through Corker, but insisted he did not know where she got the money.

He also said that he didn’t know that he couldn’t cash checks through the court, and that he would not do it again.

Taylor can return to his job, although he faces felony charges. He has since returned saying he is innocent of any wrong doing, and he will not resign.

He can however, be removed if a citizen follows a possibly lengthy and costly process through the court system.

Watch the Cedar Creek Pilot in 2010 to see what the future holds for the city of Seven Points and its city officials.