Arrests were made last Thursday and Friday in the case of money stolen from the Lake Brownwood Lions Club.  The investigation by the Brown County Sheriff’s Department started in 2017.

Billie Lou Smith-Rhodes             Jay Lynn Smith Taylor                  Mary Lou Smith

Coleman residents Mary Lou Smith, 60, and Jay Lynn Smith Taylor, 39, were arrested on Friday, September 20, on Brown County indictments of theft against a non-profit organization and engaging in organized criminal activity, according to Brown County jail records and the indictments.  They turned themselves in to the Brown County Law Enforcement Center, according to authorities.  They were released on bonds totaling $50,000 each.

According to Coleman County Sheriff, Les Cogdill, he arrested Billie Lou Smith-Rhodes, 41, at her residence on south Commercial Avenue in Coleman on Thursday, September 19.   She was taken to the Coleman County Jail and bonded out of jail later that same day, Cogdill said.  Her bonds also totaled $50,000.

According to Brown County Sheriff, Vance Hill, investigation by his department revealed the three, who served on the Lake Brownwood Lions Club Board, were believed to be using Lions Club profits for their own personal gain.   They are accused of theft of $103,000 between July 1, 2013 and on or about July 24, 2017, the indictment states.