Former water works employee pleads guilty to reduced charge

The second of two former city of Enterprise water works employees has pleaded guilty in connection with money missing from the department.

Donald Mock, of New Brockton, pleaded guilty to the charge of “misapplication of property” in Coffee County Circuit Court Jan. 5.

Circuit Judge Shannon Clark sentenced Mock to six months in the Coffee County Jail and then suspended that sentence and placed Mock on unsupervised probation for a period of six months.

Mock had been the Enterprise Water Department billing coordinator at the time of his arrest in May 2013, in connection with money missing from the water works board.

In a press release from the city, the amount listed as missing was $10,000.

Mock and Donna Leigh Holland of Jack, who had worked as the water department’s office manager, were both arrested after Enterprise city officials discovered funds missing from the Enterprise Water Works Board in May 2013.

Both were charged, at that time, with first-degree theft of property, and each was released from Coffee County Jail on $15,000 bond set by then District Judge Paul Sherling.

Mock repaid $3,010.71 to the city of Enterprise.

Holland had pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of third degree theft of property before Circuit Judge Tom Head July 9, 2015.

Holland was sentenced to 12 months in the Coffee County Jail, with credit for 11 days served. The sentence was suspended and Holland was placed on unsupervised probation for two years.

Holland’s guilty plea and sentencing July 9, 2015 followed a July 8, 2015 letter to 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom and Anderson and Assistant District Attorney Josh Wilson from R. Rainer Cotter III, written in Cotter’s capacity as attorney for the Enterprise Water Works Board. “I have recommended to the board that if Donna Holland causes the immediate payment of $45,000 that the board not object to Ms. Holland pleading to a misdemeanor theft charge in connection with the above-referenced matter,” Cotter’s letter said. “My recommendation to the water board is based on the assurance by Ms. Holland’s counsel that he will provide a letter confirming that no part of the $45,000 is the result of or related to the recent, unrelated charges brought against Ms. Holland and her husband last week.”

The “recent, unrelated charges brought against Ms. Holland her husband last week,” that Cotter referred to was an arrest June 25, 2015 of Holland and her husband, Larry M. Holland, on charges of first-degree unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance. Her bond in that case was set at $30,000.

The arrest of Holland and her husband, according to the Coffee County Sheriff's Office at that time, occurred after a state helicopter spotted what appeared to be cannabis plants near Highway 167. Officials then obtained a search warrant for the Hollands’ property.

When law enforcement searched the property on June 24, they located marijuana plants being grown both inside and outside of the property. Officials also located prepackaged items.

Officials estimate that the street value of the illegal items is about $400,000.