The mayor of Sunflower was arrested Tuesday and charged with embezzling from a Vicksburg department store where he worked as an assistant manager.

Michael Pembleton Jr., 25, 417 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Sunflower, is accused of stealing more than $7,000 in merchandise from Dillard’s, 3505 Pemberton Square Blvd., and reselling it in his hometown, police Lt. Sandra Williams said.

An anonymous tipster alerted police, Williams said.

Pembleton was arrested at the store and taken to Issaquena County Jail, where he was held without bail awaiting his initial court appearance, Williams said.

Sunflower, a town of about 700, is 108 miles from Vicksburg in the Mississippi Delta.

Elected mayor at 22, Pembleton claims on his Facebook web page to be the youngest mayor ever elected in the state, but that claim could not be verified because Mississippi Municipal League does not keep records on the ages of elected officials.

He launched a bid for District 31 state representative in 2011 but finished fourth in a five-person race. During his campaign, Pembleton reported spending no money, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Calls to Sunflower Town Hall went unanswered this morning.