Prosecuting Attorney Keith Randolph said Monday that a criminal complaint was filed on September 14th by Chief Deputy Chad Barker against Amy Price, 38, of Jeffrey.
Price was a member of the Spruce River Volunteer Fire Department, according to the complaint. The court document charges that Price allegedly embezzled over $13,000 from the department. Price was in Magistrate Court on October 27th where she reportedly waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Consequently, her case is now bound over for possible indictment from the Boone County Grand Jury.
At press time, Price’s attorneys had not filed an information in Boone County Circuit Court. In an information, a defendant agrees to plead guilty to criminal charges without facing the grand jury.
An official representing all the volunteer fire departments across Boone County applauded the quick action of law enforcement and fire officials.
“The volunteer departments in Boone County keep a watchful eye on the public’s money,” said John Holstein, Vice President of the Boone County Fire Fighter’s Mutual Aid Association and Chief of the Danville Volunteer Fire Department.
“We have checks and balances in place to keep a watchful eye on things. When something like this happens, there are people keeping an eye on the money and find it when it happens. It is my understanding that the department involved caught the loss of funds on their own, checked on where it went and found that they should contact law enforcement.”
Holstein continued, “ This wasn’t an outside entity that did an audit and found it, this was an internal to the fire department. It shows that the system works. Good people will do the right thing and keep an eye on an organization and how they spend their money.”
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