The former chief of a Franklin County, Tennessee, volunteer fire department has been charged in the theft of more than $20,000 in cash and credit card purchases state officials say he used to buy tires, groceries, TVs and even a vacation rental in Panama City Beach
Jamie Lee Stephens, the former fire chief for the Keith Springs Volunteer Fire Department in Franklin County, is accused of stealing at least $20,293 from the fire department by making personal purchases, according to a news release from the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of the Treasury on its investigative findings.
Jamie Lee StephensState officials said Stephens, 41 of Belvidere, Tennessee, withdrew thousands of dollars in cash from the fire department checking and savings accounts. He also used the department’s debit card to purchase items such as televisions, food, gasoline, groceries, tires for his personal van, and a vacation rental in Panama City Beach.
The theft also included $853 in fuel that was purchased on the fire department’s fuel account, state officials said. Investigators reviewed the purchase dates and determined Stephens was not performing fire department duties, and he did not provide proper documentation to support the purchases, officials state.
In December 2017, the fire department’s board of commissioners met with Stephens about his use of the bank funds and fuel and placed him on probation. However, while on probation, Stephens continued to use the bank and fuel accounts for personal use, officials said..
On March 3, 2018, the board of commissioners elected a new fire chief.
Stephens was indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury during its January session of on one count of theft over $10,000, officials said.
“It is vital that volunteer fire departments monitor financial transactions,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said in the release. “In this case, the treasurer told our investigators that she didn’t have time to review monthly bank statements. Had this occurred, the theft may have been discovered much earlier.”