By Katie Northcott, News Director
Catrina Von McGee Lester, a Coffee County Judicial Commissioner, was arrested on Sunday, Jan. 18 on charges of theft of property over $1,000 and destruction of and tampering with government records.
According to the warrant for Lester’s arrest, Chief Investigator Brandon Reed of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation involving Lester on Dec. 11, 2025. During his investigation, Reed found that Lester had knowingly entered an unworked amount of time on her Coffee County Government time sheet.
According to Reed, Lester entered 51 hours of unworked time over the course of two pay periods spanning Dec. 17, 2025, to Jan. 13, 2026. Reed said that Lester worked 29 hours over the course of those two pay periods but entered 80 hours into her timesheet, resulting in about $1,600 of overpayment from the county.
Lester’s bail was set at $5,000, and her court date is set for Feb. 24 at 9 a.m.
According to an article by Thunder Radio, Lester was hired by the county in 2023.
