Former Jefferson County clerk to appear in court this week

MONTICELLO, Fla. (WCTV) – Former Jefferson County Clerk of Court Kirk Reams is scheduled to stand trial this week on fraud and theft charges, three months after his first trial ended in a mistrial.

Jury selection is now scheduled for Tuesday, the same day that Jefferson County voters cast ballots for Jefferson County Clerk of Court. Reams is one of four candidates on the primary ballot.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday morning, but was delayed a day.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office posted a missing person flyer on its Facebook page Monday, confirming that Wendy Collins, the wife of criminal defense attorney David Collins, was reported missing early Monday morning after she failed to return home from a trip. She has since been found safe and sound, according to a statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Court Administrator Elizabeth Garber confirmed that jury selection in Reams' trial will now begin Tuesday, with 500 potential jurors summoned in the case. Reams is one of three people arrested by the FDLE in September 2023 and accused of “spending county funds on advertising and sponsorships and misusing the county's purchasing card (P-Card) to pay for non-office related travel expenses.”

Both of Reams' co-defendants have accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimony against him, including Justin Tyler McNeill, who agreed to a plea deal just last week.

Defense attorney Joe Bodiford confirmed that McNeill pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of organized fraud and grand theft at a pretrial hearing on Thursday.

Bodiford says it was an open plea, not an agreed sentence. Co-defendant Charles Culp had already entered a plea in December 2023 and testified in Reams' first trial in May.

The judge entered a not guilty verdict shortly after Culp pointed to previous charges against Reams in which he was ultimately found not guilty.

If attorneys can seat the jury on Tuesday, opening arguments in the trial are expected to begin Wednesday and testimony could extend into next week.

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