CADDO, Okla. ―Thousands of dollars were deposited into the wrong account in an Oklahoma town, leaving authorities sorting out the details. Caddo, Oklahoma, received a very large amount of money, but it is money that wasn’t meant for them. Rita Kotey has the details.

In a case of mistaken identity, the City of Caddo received a check for $54,000 from the Oklahoma Tax Commission for sales tax revenue from June 2008. But the money was actually meant for Caddo County, which is about 130 miles to the northwest.

An industrial machinery company mistakenly reported $54,000 in sales tax collections for the town of Caddo when the company had actually done business with Caddo County.

When the Caddo clerk treasurer noticed the large deposit, they wanted to immediately to give the money back, but the clerk says the tax commission wanted to get the money back another way.

"Rather than let us just send them a check for the full amount, they say it messes up their books. What they prefer to do is to take a little bit out each month until they have recouped the $54,000. At the rate they’re doing it, it could take up to two years," Caddo clerk treasurer Deanna Lilley says.

The tax commission typically deposits $10,000 to $15,000 a month in tax revenue for the town of Caddo. Instead of waiting two years to give the money back to the tax commission, the city council has decided to allow them to withhold $8,000 a month until the sum is paid.

Lilly says the process should take about six months.