As of midnight last night, Sunday March 31, 2024, Estill County is without a County Clerk.
Brian Crowe resigned his position effective last night, and according to sources, has filed for retirement.
Estill County Judge Donnie Watson will now have the obligation of appointing someone to fill Crowes term until the general election later this year. Until then, the leadership of both political parties in Estill County will decide if they have a candidate to run in the general election for the position. Whoever wins that race would take office next day.
It is not known the reasons or circumstances surrounding Crowes exodus. Or the details have not been made public.
Crowe was the subject of a state audit in October of last year that charged the clerk with several accounting and bookkeeping errors. The State Auditor’s Office said Estill County Clerk Brian Crowe overspent available funds and failed to segregate duties. The audit findings also found significant money miscalculations and other issues. That audit was for year 2020 was referred to the Department of Local Government for further review.
The audits for years 2021, 2022, and 2023 are due out soon.
WBON-TV reached out to Crowe for comment on his resignation today, and Crowe stated he had ‘no official comment.”
The clerk’s offices will remain closed until an appointment is made. That decision is expected to come this week.
