Morgan County Circuit Clerk John Pat Orr is holding more than $200,000 of your money.

But Mr. Orr does not want to make public the names of more than 1,050 people and businesses whose money he's had for less than five years until he and his employees "recuperate" from the Sept. 30 release of the names of 259 people and businesses whose $11,500 he's been holding for more than five years.

A recent audit of the circuit clerk's office showed it had checks dating to 1995 that it had not disbursed. The money includes restitution and child support payments as well as other court-associated fees. Mr. Orr said the postal service returned many of the checks he issued because the recipients' mailing addresses changed.

But how difficult is it to reach Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, Dillard's, Compass Bank or District Judge Shelly Waters — all of whom were on the list released last month?

Mr. Orr ought to release the list — which is by law a public record.

Perhaps the rightful owners of the funds will be more successful at finding Mr. Orr than he and his employees were at finding them.

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