Boone County Assessor Brandi Diffey has resigned.
Diffey, who is facing misdemeanor charges of Abuse of an Office, resigned effective immediately from her position as county assessor earlier this month. Her successor has yet to be appointed, according to the Boone County Judge’s Office.
On Monday, Nov. 9, Diffey was scheduled to appear before Boone County Judge John Putman for a 9 a.m. jury trial. No new information has been released regarding the outcome of the trial, as of press time.
Diffey, 51, was arrested and charged on April 24, 2026, for making approximately $2,042 of improper personal charges on her government issued county credit card. Auditors uncovered Diffey had made $844 in undocumented or inadequately documented purchases including $446 for fuel, $84 for meals, $314 for miscellaneous purchases; and $2,403 purchases without a documented purpose including $309 for meals and $889 for miscellaneous purchase. Out of the approximately $2,042 spent, auditors found Diffey did pay back or reimburse approximately $1,906, according to an affidavit filed by Arkansas State Police.
The investigation into Diffey began in August of 2025, when Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge submitted a written request to the Arkansas State Police asking them to look into funds allegedly stolen from Boone County government accounts. The investigation led to a financial audit of Boone County by the Arkansas Legislative Audit. Auditors identified the majority of the personal charges on the assessor’s government purchase card were from Wal-Mart purchases made by Diffey, according to the affidavit.
During the investigation, Diffey admitted to uploading the county purchase card to her personal Amazon and Walmart accounts and using the card to make purchases. Diffey’s son and daughter-in-law, who had access to her Walmart account, also made purchases with the county card. Diffey claimed she, and her family members, made purchases with the county card in error and acknowledged adding the card to her personal account was a mistake. She explained the county card had been saved to her Walmart account and, although she believed she had corrected the issue after her initial accidental use of the card, it repeatedly became set as the default payment method, according to the affidavit.
Following her April arrest, Diffey was booked into the Marion County Detention Center, but released later that day, according to news archives.
