A former Bull Shoals mayor has been arrested for theft of property and abuse of office for having the city issue checks to him for his health insurance without council approval. David L. Nixon was booked into the Marion County Detention Center Tuesday afternoon on the felony charges and released on bond a short time later.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, a special agent with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office/Public Integrity Unit investigated case after being notified by current mayor Mike Savu. Savu says he was approached by the city recorder/treasurer in January of 2023 after taking office asking for his signature on a check for former mayor Nixon. When he questioned why, he was told Nixon, for the past few years, had been having his Medicare Part B deducted from his social security payments and in turn was having the city reimburse him for the payments. Mayor Savu asked the attorney general’s office to investigate.
During the course of the investigation, interviews were conducted with former and current city council members and the city paid CPA. It was determined the payments to Nixon, which totaled $5,915, were not authorized by the city council.
The investigator examined the city council minutes from 2017 to 2022, the years Nixon served as mayor, and there were no city council readings, verbal votes or documentation in the form of an ordinance or resolution where the council approved allowing Nixon to reimburse himself for his Medicare Part B payments.
During his interview with the investigator, Nixon says he was allowed to reimburse himself for his out-of-pocket expenses and when he turned 65, he enrolled in Medicare, took himself off the city insurance policy and took out a supplemental Part B policy to save the city money.
When the investigator informed Nixon there was no documentation showing approval of the reimbursement, Nixon stated his action was “administrative discretion” on his part because he was entitled to full healthcare coverage.
Nixon is charged with felony counts of theft of property and abuse of office. He was booked into jail at 2:13 Tuesday afternoon and released at 5:18 after posting $1,500 bond.
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