Former Hedley city secretary facing felony charge

Former Hedley City Secretary Kim Gossman was arrested Tuesday afternoon, December 5, and charged with a third-degree felony for Theft by a Public Servant.

Gossman, age 56, from Clarendon was indicted by the Donley County Grand Jury on Monday following an investigation that began in January. Justice of the Peace Sarah Hatley arraigned Gossman Tuesday afternoon and set her bond at $25,000. She remained in the Donley County Jail at press time late Tuesday afternoon.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said this charge of Theft by a Public Servant is for an amount over $2,500 but less than $30,000. Blackburn also said that investigations into Gossman are still ongoing and that other indictments could be expected.
Gossman resigned from her city position on January 19 amid an investigation into allegations of misappropriation of city funds. On January 9, Hedley’s auditor first alerted then Mayor Carrie Butler of “discrepancies” in Gossman’s salary discovered during the city’s fiscal year 2022 audit, covering July 2021 through June 2022.

Following her resignation from the city, the Enterprise reported the investigation had widened to include Gossman’s work at the Hedley Community Development Corporation, the local housing authority.

Butler later told the Enterprise she knew of at least $50,000 missing. A forensic auditor was brought in by the city in March, and the city borrowed $75,000 against a bond insurance policy for operation funds.