Late Friday afternoon, the judges of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit appointed a local woman to serve as Dawson County's interim clerk of courts.   

Pam Henson, 57, who worked as a bookkeeper for the Hall County Clerk of Courts for 24 years, will serve as clerk until a special election can be held to fill the position in July.    

Henson said she has no plans to run for the office in July.     

"The judges wanted someone who has no intentions of running, so it wouldn't interfere in the running of the clerk's office," Henson said.    

A native of Dawson County, Henson has been working at the Dawson County Clerk's office for the last six weeks to "straighten out the bookkeeping issues."    

She said she will be sworn in as interim clerk of courts next week.       

Henson will succeed Becky McCord, who resigned last week in the wake of a criminal investigation into money missing from the clerk of courts office.     

McCord, 61, is accused of taking more than $140,000 from a county account for passport fees.

McCord, who has served as clerk of courts since 1993, was arrested Feb. 11 on a single count of felony theft by taking.    

She was indicted in early March. A court date has not been set.    

See the complete story in the next edition of the Dawson Community News.