J. D. MORRIS HAS EARLY RELEASE - Assisting Federal Prosecutors

(04/23/2004)
A federal judge has reduced the prison sentence of former state school board President J.D. Morris of Clay.

Prosecutors say Morris is being released early because he is assisting prosecutors with their investigation.

Chief US District Judge David Faber reduced the sentence to time served at the federal prosecutors' request.

Morris was sentenced last year to 18 months for embezzling more than $100,000 from the Clay County Bank.

He was released from federal prison and began his three-year term of supervised release this Tuesday.

Assistant US Attorney Susan Arnold says she can't reveal the targets of the investigation but says no one has been indicted so far.

Morris was associated with the bank for many years, but was the bank's president and chief executive from 1997 until his retirement in April 2002.

He resigned from the state school board in October 2002.