For the first time in months, former Union County clerk of court Brad Morris was back in court Monday, but as a defendant answering roll call.

Morris resigned as clerk of court in October just as a SLED audit of his office was getting under way. A month later he was arrested by SLED and charged with embezzlement of public funds and misconduct in office. He is alleged to have embezzled more than $200,000 in public funds for his personal use during the first 10 months of 2009.

On Monday, Morris was among more than 100 defendants who showed up for roll call for General Sessions Court. Defendants on bond are required to appear in court for roll call at an assigned time. When his name was called, Morris answered he was present and was released from court for the rest of the week. No date has been set for Morris’ trial.

The investigation leading to Morris’ arrest was initiated after Union County Sheriff David Taylor said he received a complaint Sept. 11 involving a $34 check from the child support account overseen by Morris. While the bank cashed the check, it reported the account to be overdrawn.

Taylor became concerned there might be a potential problem with more checks so he contacted Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett to ask SLED to investigate the matter.

Former Union Public Safety officer Freddie Gault was appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford to serve out Morris’ term as clerk. When he took office, Gault found the child support account in good shape, but soon discovered the clerk’s office was 13 months behind on its monthly reports on fines handed down in General Sessions, Common Pleas and Family courts.

The clerk’s office collects these fines, keeps a record of them and sends the money along with a report to the State Treausrer every month. Until his resignation, the reporting process was handled by Morris who Gault said had fallen behind on it.

Gault called in June Miller who had served 30 years as clerk of court before retiring in 2004 to catch up on the reports. Mrs. Miller began the process in late November and by the end of December had caught up seven months of reports and conducted a preliminary audit of the clerk’s bond received fund. In a report to Supervisor Tommy Sinclair at the end of December, Gault stated, based on Mrs. Miller’s findings, there should be approximately $157,986.90 in the account but in point of fact there was only $129,807.31 or $28,179.59 less.

While his office was still able to meet its commitments, Gault said at the time that a shortfall might occur over the next five months forcing him to ask Union County Council for assistance. Council has agreed to assist Gault if necessary but he has not the request so far.