JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — A former employee of the Jefferson County Water Department is facing several criminal charges following an investigation into alleged reimbursement fraud.
A Jefferson County grand jury recently returned an indictment against 60-year-old Ronald Leroy Saxton of Rayland. The charges include two felony counts of theft in office, one count of theft, one count of falsification connected to an alleged theft offense, and a misdemeanor theft charge.
According to investigators, Saxton is accused of improperly obtaining reimbursement funds from the water department by submitting invoices for purchases that authorities say were never completed.
Officials allege the scheme involved obtaining receipts from suspended retail transactions. Investigators claim store employees scanned merchandise and printed transaction records without the purchases being finalized, allowing the receipts to be used in reimbursement requests.
Authorities estimate the water department lost nearly $1,800 through the alleged conduct.
The case will proceed through the Jefferson County court system.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
