State sues former fire chief

BROWNSTOWN - A former Carr Township fire chief accused of misusing more than $38,000 of departmental funds now faces action by the Indiana Attorney General's office for repayment of $28,709.

Russell Todd Snodgrass, 40, of Brownstown is accused of using fire department money to buy items for his personal use.

Attorney General Steve Carter has filed a lawsuit in Jackson County seeking to recover $28,709 from Snodgrass.

A state audit showed Snodgrass was responsible for misappropriated, diverted or missing funds from the fire department and the Carr Township Fire Territory from Jan. 1, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2005. Snodgrass oversaw financial accounts for both the fire department and territory, which was established between the town of Medora and Carr Township.

"Individuals who abuse their responsibility to manage public funds will be held accountable to the taxpayers," said Carter.

The lawsuit alleges Snodgrass failed to properly account for, expend and/or deposit funds totaling $38,709, but the fire department recovered $10,000 through its employee dishonesty insurance coverage, leaving Snodgrass liable for the remainder.

A jury trial is set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 2 in Jackson Circuit Court. A plea deadline is set for Sept. 5.

On. Jan. 23, Snodgrass turned himself into Jackson County Jail, where he once worked as a jailer, on a Jackson Circuit Court warrant charging four counts of theft. He was released on a $1,000 bond.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Detective Richard T. Roseberry with the Indiana State Police Post at Seymour, Snodgrass is accused of stealing the funds during the time he served as chief from 2003 to 2005. During that period, Snodgrass also was in charge of recordkeeping, bookkeeping and bill payment for the department.

An audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts conducted for the years Snodgrass was chief showed the department lost $38,709.35.

One of the improper transactions found during the state audit show that in June 2004 Snodgrass failed to deposit $190.31 from a $41,690.31 check issued to the Carr Township Fire Department by the Carr Township trustee.

On April 14, 2005, the audit showed that Snodgrass wrote a $241.88 check from the Carr Fire Protection Territory to a local discount store for the purchase of fishing lures and Guns N Roses music, and on July 21, 2005, he wrote a $506.68 check from the department to a car dealership in Seymour for payment of repairs performed on his personal vehicle.