White Plains left without a mayor as KSP investigates the administration.

WHITE PLAINS, Ky. (WEHT)- The status of the Mayor of White Plains, with a population of more than 800 people, is being questioned.

City officials were unavailable when we went to White Plains. While no one wanted to speak with us on camera, we did get to talk with several citizens of White Plains and they told us that last night’s special-called meeting got, in their words, “pretty rowdy”.

Citizens are demanding answers from Mayor Joshua Slaton’s administration.

Eyewitness News reached out to Kentucky State Police officials who tells us they were contacted regarding a potential misappropriation of funds, in March of this year. KSP says they then requested business records and, to this day, have not received those records from the City Hall or the Mayor.

KSP explains they reached out to request those records again and the City Clerk assured them that the records would be sent by this Friday. KSP PIO, Corey King, tells us they are looking into the former Mayor’s administration, and are currently waiting on a forensic audit before any charges are made. They tell us they have not released any persons of interest at this time.

When we spoke with White Plains citizens, several told us that Mayor Slaton was voted out in last night’s meeting. One man we spoke to says it’s a member of Slaton’s administration who is at fault for the misappropriation of funds, and that the mayor is collateral damage.

In a Facebook group, several people are making posts regarding the situation. A comment made by a woman identifying herself as Mayor Slaton’s stepmother says, “For the citizens who want to know the truth performed by the auditors, monies were accounted for and not stolen by the mayor. This information was not given to you in the meeting that was called not by the mayor, called by employees and certain people of the commission.”

Another comment says in part, “If the audit is not over, how can all the money be accounted for? People just want to know the truth.” An effort to respond to that comment says that citizens “were told at the meeting that the results of the audit will be made public, but it’ll be February 2024 when it’s finished”.

It’s important to note that this investigation is in the early stages, as KSP tells us they have not filed any charges and are still waiting to receive records in their investigation.