ELLAVILLE, Ga. (WTVM) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested and charged the city manager of Ellaville with 29 counts of theft by taking.

The GBI began investigating Donna Lynn McChargue, 50, of Ellaville, in October 2025 at the request of the Southwestern District Attorney’s Office. During the investigation, agents found suspicious purchases and withdrawals made by McChargue.

According to the GBI, the amount of money stolen may be anywhere from 400 thousand to One-Million Dollars

McChargue was booked into the Taylor County Jail following her arrest on Wednesday.

Ellaville Mayor Shane Tondee said the city called an emergency meeting at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss McChargue’s future. After a roughly 30-minute executive session with the city council, officials gave McChargue five days to request a public hearing or be terminated.

According to a resolution signed after the executive session, McChargue will continue to receive her benefits until she is terminated, which will only happen if she does not request a public hearing within five days.

McChargue started as a billing clerk in October 2014 and was named city manager on June 22, 2015.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Americus at 229-931-2439.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online , or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

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