Paragould, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – A former volunteer for the Arkansas State Committee of Ducks Unlimited was arrested after police said he used the organization’s funds on multiple unauthorized transactions.
Derek Exum, 52, of Paragould, was booked into the Greene County Detention Center on Nov. 4, the inmate roster shows. He faces one count of theft of property, a class B felony.
Exum served as the volunteer state treasurer for the committee until the state council removed him on Sept. 16. As of Thursday, Nov. 5, Exum is still listed on the Arkansas Ducks Unlimited website as the organization’s treasurer and District 3 zone chairman.
Between April 2023 and September 2026, Exum made multiple unauthorized transactions that totaled over $100,000, according to the probable cause affidavit.
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The affidavit said Exum was the sole signer on every transaction, the only officer who controlled the two accounts, and the only person who received their statements, which were made to his home that he had listed as his business address.
Investigators noted that under Ducks Unlimited operating manuals, all raised funds are the sole property of the organization and cannot be used for personal benefit or costs. The State Treasurer is only authorized to make disbursements upon the direction of the State Chairman and the State Committee. According to the affidavit, no committee approval, invoices, or authorization existed for the transactions.
On Nov. 4, District Judge Curtis Hitt gave Exum a $100,000 cash/surety bond. The roster shows that Exum was released later in the evening.
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