BY JOHN CHAPPELL

Staff Writer

A former Carthage police chief and his wife turned themselves in Monday morning after a grand jury last week indicted them both on unrelated felony charges.

Following an SBI investigation, a Moore County grand jury indicted former police chief Christopher Thomas McKenzie of three counts each of embezzlement by a public official, larceny by an employee, and obtaining property by false pretense.

He is accused of using a town credit card for personal purchases and fueling his personal vehicle using the town key at a county pump - the total amount of alleged theft less than $1,000.

In an unrelated indictment, Allison Riley McKenzie was charged with four counts each of felony embezzlement, larceny by employee and obtaining property by false pretense.

Her charges come from a theft at a dentist's office where she worked for a number of years. She is alleged to have kept hundreds of thousands in cash paid by patients and concealing it, according to court documents.

Both McKenzies appeared before Magistrate Lisa Russell, who released them on unsecured bonds, $75,000 for Allison McKenzie and $25,000 for the former chief. She set their first appearance in Superior Court for Sept. 4.

A lawsuit filed last September ended with a default judgment against the McKenzies after they made no answer. Last January, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge James M. Webb granted default judgment to the dental office for $436,90l.79 against the couple.

The criminal charges against Allison McKenzie do not include any allegation that the former chief was involved or had any knowledge of her alleged thefts.

There are no conspiracy charges against either of the McKenzies, according to court documents.

Neither of the McKenzies could be reached for comment.

Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or jfchappell@gmail.com.