July 20, 2012
From WNewsJournal.com
A Clinton County wildlife officer has been indicted for theft in office and tampering with records after being investigated by the Ohio Inspector General (OIG) for allegedly hunting deer while on duty.
The investigation concluded that Matthew Roberts, along with one other officer and a supervisor, were harvesting deer for themselves while claiming they were on duty, collecting regular pay and, in some cases, overtime pay.
…
OIG obtained the harvest reports for the entire state of Ohio for the 2009 and 2010 hunting seasons, as well as a list of all Ohio Department of Natural Resources employees. Comparing the list of employees against the
2009 and 2010 harvest reports, additional instances were discovered in which Wright and (David) Warner were hunting during their reported work hours.
…
Overall, OIG found that Wright and Warner were hunting while on duty in
2008, 2009, and 2010; Roberts was hunting while on duty in 2010;
…
Brown County Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Little announced the Brown County
Grand Jury indicted Roberts and Warner for Theft in Office and Tampering
with Records. Warner was also indicted for Dereliction of Duty. In October
2011, Wright was fired last year at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
for other unrelated violations. This past May, Wright entered a plea of
guilty to charges in a federal district court, which included an agreement
to cooperate with future investigations. Wright was sentenced in federal
court July 17.