Former Speedway fire chief accused of misusing $60000 - Indianapolis Star
Former Speedway Fire Chief Mark Watson is accused in a state audit of misusing more than $60,000 from the town and spending the cash on personal items such as a 46-inch television, a payment on a pickup truck, a grill, a snow blower and a gun. 31, 2014, indicates Watson created a personal bank account in which he would deposit money meant for the fire department. “We are really disappointed and disgusted,” Speedway Town Manager Ian Nicolini said, “but if there is a silver lining, it’s that through our internal controls, we were able to discover these alleged activities and take action. Watson resigned in October after officials confronted him about a series of purchases, town officials said. A spokesman for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said the office has received the audit and is reviewing the case. The town asked the Indiana State Board of Accounts to conduct the audit of fire department spending. The audit spurred the town to create further safeguards against misuse of funds even though the town already had bolstered its financial oversight. Officials are asking Watson to pay back the $62,000 to the town of Speedway, as well as pay the state the $21,000 it spent to conduct the audit. In a statement released jointly by Nicolini and Speedway Town Clerk-Treasurer Monty W. Combs, officials said the town is taking steps to. Source: www.indystar.com
