The Charleston Gazette
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — The former chief of the Smithers Volunteer Fire Department was sentenced Monday to spend 1 to 10 years in prison for embezzlement.
Timothy Whittington, 56, pleaded guilty to the felony charge Aug. 9 in Fayette Circuit Court.
Whittington was taken to the Southern Regional Jail after Circuit Judge Paul Blake handed down the sentence Monday, according to assistant Fayette County prosecutor Roger Lambert.
Whittington will be eligible for parole after a year, Lambert said.
After using the fire department’s account to pay personal bills, Whittington took out a $4,000 bank loan to put money back into the account around the time an audit was scheduled, according to Lambert.
However, an audit uncovered $3,500 still missing from the department’s account. Whittington has agreed to pay that amount in restitution, Lambert said.
A fraudulent-scheme charge against Whittington’s wife, Patricia, was dismissed as a result of his plea deal.
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