Wright County, Missouri – The problem in Wright County was not one misplaced receipt, one late bill, or one office with dusty recordkeeping. Missouri auditors say it was bigger than that: money kept outside the county treasury, weapons that could not be found, public purchases with weak support, and a jail project that turned into a costly legal mess.
For a county of 18,188 residents, where local government employed 53 full-time and three part-time workers at the end of 2023, the June 2026 state audit landed hard. Wright County received an overall “Poor” rating, the lowest signal on the Missouri State Auditor’s scale, reserved for entities that need significant improvement and immediate attention.
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said the audit of Wright County government found problems across multiple offices and that his team had to issue a subpoena to get records. He also said the former sheriff initially withheld information about a fund maintained outside the county treasury.
“The people of Wright County deserve a better and more transparent government and the recommendations we have in our report will help county officials make much-needed improvements. So far the response to our report has been encouraging, but I urge officials in Wright County to not let up until every recommendation is put into place,” Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said.
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The audit covered the year ending Dec. 31, 2023, with additional work extending into 2025 for the Sheriff’s Office and county debt matters. In the areas reviewed, auditors identified weak internal controls, legal noncompliance, and management practices that needed major improvement. The report also said most prior recommendations had not been implemented.
Much of the sharpest criticism centered on the Sheriff’s Office. Auditors found that the office maintained a Special Operations bank account and a safe deposit box outside the county treasury. The office deposited $15,000 in public funds into that account and made six improper and unsupported disbursements totaling $15,950 from January 2023 through July 2025.
Those purchases included two drones at $5,500 each, drone batteries, floor mats, and gym equipment. Auditors found one drone was kept at the sheriff’s personal residence, while nearly $2,500 in gym equipment could not be located at the sheriff’s office or jail. Overall, the Special Operations account recorded $36,160 in deposits and about $24,466 in disbursements.
The audit also found gaps in the handling of seized property. Auditors reviewed 16 haphazardly selected seized items and could not locate four, including a New England 20-caliber gun and a Maverick model 88 gun. The Sheriff’s Office also held seized cash in a safe deposit box, including $4,878 that records connected to a case but that remained outside normal county treasury procedures.
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Other Sheriff’s Office issues were less dramatic but still serious. Auditors found inmate and commissary account problems, including $2,972 held for 237 former inmates as of Sept. 30, 2024, with $1,788 held for more than a year. There were also 21 outstanding checks totaling $590 that were older than one year. Fuel use was not monitored, even though the office spent $47,920 through fuel cards in 2023.
The jail expansion project opened another front. According to the audit, the County Commission did not adequately protect the county’s financial interests while overseeing the project. A breach-of-contract lawsuit followed, and in July 2025 the parties reached a $625,000 settlement. That pushed the project $173,955 above the guaranteed maximum price and led the county into a loan agreement auditors said was not authorized by state law, adding an estimated $74,000 in interest costs.
The commission was also faulted for appointing an interim sheriff who auditors said did not meet statutory residency requirements. The county disagreed with that interpretation. Auditors also found mid-term salary increases for the sheriff totaling $16,281 over two years, which they said violated constitutional provisions and state law.
The County Clerk’s office drew scrutiny over late payments, missing documentation, and tax calculations. Late fees and finance charges totaled $961. In a review of 146 credit card transactions, the county could not find receipts or supporting documentation for 73 transactions totaling $16,629. Auditors also said the county levied about $23,400 in excess property taxes for 2023 because the property tax reduction was improperly calculated.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was cited for weak accounting oversight, untimely deposits, dormant accounts, and an employee conducting personal notary business during office hours. The Assessor’s Office charged an unauthorized $3 “research fee,” collecting an estimated $376 in 2023, though auditors said no research was performed. The Public Administrator’s Office filed several annual settlements late for wards and estates.
Countywide computer controls were also weak. The audit found insufficient password safeguards, no automatic lockouts in some offices after failed login attempts, and backup practices that needed improvement. Wright County also lacked a records retention policy covering electronic communications, despite state guidance on email, text messages, and other digital records.
County officials have reported corrective steps, including transferring accounts to the County Treasurer, closing inactive accounts, improving procedures for deposits and reconciliations, updating policies, tracking fuel use, addressing seized property, and revising tax calculations. Fitzpatrick said the early response was encouraging but urged officials to “not let up until every recommendation is put into place.”
The full Wright County audit is available through the Missouri State Auditor’s Office.
