Taney County prosecutors charged Decker and Criss three weeks ago. Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell said Tuesday that he doesn’t know the relationship between the two women.

According to the probable cause statement, Decker was president of the chamber until February 2007. After she resigned, the detective wrote, the Board of Directors discovered a bank account in the chamber’s name that board members didn’t know existed. Nearly 45 chamber members’ dues were put in the account but not recorded in the chamber’s records, according to the detective.

An investigation of the account, according to the detective, showed about $5,000 in checks were written directly to Decker while another $6,000 in checks and debits went to vendors, “including CenturyTel, Alltel, and Carroll County Electric Cooperative.” Carroll County Electric Cooperative is in northwest Arkansas, just south of Blue Eye, Mo., where Decker lists her address. The detective says Criss also lives in Stone County, Mo., although her address is not listed with her charge.

Merrell says Decker made her first court appearance on the charge but Criss has not. They could face prison sentences as long as seven years if they’re convicted.