RIDGECREST — A grand jury will issue a ruling Wednesday morning regarding several discrepancies in the Town of Ridgecrest’s bookkeeping.

An audit conducted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor revealed that former Town Clerk Dana DeLaughter may have violated state law by failing to deposit $56,679 in utility payments, intentionally overstating $27,814 of utility collections to the town’s board of aldermen and issuing herself three extra payroll checks totaling $1,865.

DeLaughter was placed on administrative leave without pay in November and later terminated at a January board of aldermen meeting.

Allegations against former Mayor Kevin Graham, who is said to have used state grant funds to purchase a water pump and accessories totaling $4,055, will also be included in the ruling.

Graham resigned in early November.

The grand jury can rule on a prosecutor’s indictment, or a formal accusation of a crime, as a “no bill,” meaning the charges have not been sufficiently supported by the evidence, or as a “true bill,” which would be sufficient to justify the trial of the suspect.