City of Houston looking for new Parks and Rec Director

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Houston will be looking for a new Park and Recreation Director.

John Gravat resigned from the position at a meeting of the Board of Aldermen last Thursday.

Gravat’s resignation comes after his indictment on charges of embezzlement and false representations to defraud the government.

State Auditor Shad White’s Office has been handling the investigation which is related to incidents dating back to April 2021.

His office arrested Gravat last week.

White says these cases are about holding public employees and officials accountable.

“The main thrust behind this case was something we see, really a lot, around the state, unfortunately, and we investigate all the time and hold people accountable all the time for this. If you claim to be working at a government office, you’ve got to be working at that government office. You can’t be doing something else while you are claiming time at the government office,” said State Auditor Shad White.

If convicted, Gravat could face up to 10 years in prison on the embezzlement charge, and up to 5 years on the false representation charge.