A former clerk in the McDonald County prosecutor’s office has been bound over for trial on a felony stealing charge after allegedly telling coworkers she had cancer, then taking donations for assistance.
Tammy R. Young, 42, of Goodman was in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, with McDonald County Associate Circuit Court Judge John LePage presiding. Young is slated to be arraigned Nov. 17 before Presiding Judge Timothy Perigo in McDonald County.
In February 2008, according to a probable cause affidavit, Young reportedly told co-workers she had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissues. She told co-workers she was being treated at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America facility in Tulsa, Okla., and at St. John’s Regional Medical Center and Freeman Health Centers.
Co-workers organized two benefits for Young, with the events raising about $10,000 to help her defray medical costs. A co-worker testified about the fundraising events Wednesday.
Young has since told people she was being treated for cancer in Mexico.
Young faces two Class C felony counts of stealing and faces up to seven years in prison on each charge, if a conviction is reached. She is being represented by C. Ross Rhoades, a Neosho attorney. A special prosecutor, Pineville attorney Duane Cooper, has been named in the case since Janice Durbin, McDonald County prosecutor, is Young’s former supervisor.
Pineville, Mo. —
