HAYSI, Va. Larry Yates, the mayor of Haysi in Dickenson County, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, on multiple financial charges involving alleged misuse of public money and alleged credit card offenses, according to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority and Virginia court records. Yates, who is 72 years old, was listed on the regional jail roster after the arrest. A booking photograph released by local television stations was credited to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.
Local news outlets reported that the charges also appeared in Dickenson County Circuit Court records. At the time of the first reports, Virginia State Police and the Haysi Police Department had not issued public statements describing the investigation. News organizations said they had contacted both agencies and had not received a response. The jail roster, as reported by WJHL, listed eight charges against Yates: Larceny, embezzlement by a public officer.
Larceny, use of public assets greater than $1,000 in 12 months by a full time officer or similar official. Fraud, theft of a credit card or credit card numbers. Fraud, credit card fraud equal to $1,000 in a six month period. Fraud, receiving goods from credit card fraud equal to $1,000.
Fraud, a second listing for theft of a credit card or credit card numbers. Fraud, credit card fraud less than $1,000 in a six month period. Fraud, receiving goods from credit card fraud less than $1,000. WCYB summarized the same case as charges of embezzlement of public funds, use of public funds for personal purposes, credit card theft, and credit card fraud.
Those summaries match the roster language but do not add new factual allegations about specific purchases, dates, or dollar amounts beyond the thresholds written into the charge descriptions. Authorities have not publicly released a detailed account of the alleged conduct. No charging affidavit, indictment narrative, or investigative summary had been quoted by local news outlets as of Friday morning, Sept. 18.
What can be stated with attribution is limited to the charges themselves and to the legal meaning of those charge titles under Virginia law. The charge labeled embezzlement by a public officer corresponds to Virginia’s statute on embezzlement by officers and employees of a city, town, or other political subdivision.
That law makes it a felony for such an official who has custody of public funds, or other funds coming into official custody, to knowingly misuse or misappropriate those funds or to dispose of them otherwise than in accordance with law. The charge labeled use of public assets greater than $1,000 in 12 months tracks Virginia’s misuse of public assets statute.
That statute applies to a full time officer, agent, or employee of a town who, without lawful authorization, uses or permits the use of public assets for private or personal purposes unrelated to official duties or another legitimate government interest, when the value of that use exceeds $1,000 in any 12 month period. Public assets under that law include personal property belonging to or paid for by the town, and paid labor of another person.
The credit card listings allege theft of a credit card or credit card numbers, credit card fraud at or above $1,000 in a six month period, receipt of goods from such fraud at that level, and separate counts for credit card fraud and receipt of goods below the $1,000 six month threshold. Investigators have not publicly identified whose cards were allegedly involved, whether any card belonged to the town, or what goods were allegedly obtained. Those allegations remain unproven. Yates has not been convicted.
No plea, verdict, or finding of guilt has been reported. WCYB reported that online records showed Yates had a court hearing Monday in Dickenson County. Local coverage did not identify the purpose of that hearing, whether it was a first appearance after the Thursday arrest, or what conditions of release, if any, a court had set. Bond status was not detailed in the initial reports.
No public comment from Yates or from an attorney representing him appeared in the first wave of local reporting. The Town of Haysi did respond. A spokesperson provided a statement on behalf of the Town Council. The council said the day was “difficult and deeply concerning” and that many residents had questions.
It said the council “remains committed to protecting the public trust, safeguarding taxpayer resources, and ensuring that the business of our town continues responsibly and transparently.” The statement said the council had spent “the past several months” strengthening financial and administrative safeguards, updating business processes, increasing oversight, establishing additional restrictions and controls, and addressing concerns through appropriate channels. Because the person involved is an elected official, the council said, the process included legal and procedural requirements the council was obligated to respect.
The council said it had acted within its legal authority and followed the procedures available to it. The council said the criminal charges “are matters for the appropriate law enforcement agencies and courts.” It said it would not interfere with that process and would “respect the presumption of innocence and the rights afforded to every person under the law.” At the same time, the council said it would continue taking steps to protect public funds, strengthen internal controls, and improve accountability.
“This situation does not define our town,” the council said. “We are bigger than the actions of any one person.” It asked residents to remain united and to allow the legal process to proceed. The statement closed: “We will continue to serve our town.
We will continue to do the work. And we will continue moving forward together.” The council’s reference to months of internal financial controls indicates town officials had already identified concerns before the arrest. The statement did not name Yates in the body of the message, did not describe specific transactions, and did not say the town had referred the matter to a particular agency.
Virginia State Police were among the agencies newsrooms contacted, but no confirmation of the investigating agency had been released. Yates has served as mayor since he was first elected in 2012, according to Virginia election records cited by WCYB. He won reelection in 2024. The town website lists him as Larry D.
Yates. Haysi is a small Dickenson County town near Breaks Interstate Park. The 2020 census counted 484 residents. Town government is led by the mayor and a town council that includes a vice mayor and additional council members.
As of the latest available reporting, the case remained in its earliest public stage: an arrest, a published charge list, a town statement stressing both public trust and the presumption of innocence, and no detailed law enforcement narrative of what investigators say occurred.
