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Resident accuses Spring Township of missing gravel and money; commissioners direct sheriff report
Summary
A Spring Township resident told Butler County commissioners that a stockpile of gravel and township funds have gone missing and was advised to report the matter to the sheriff and county attorney; commissioners said the county has no jurisdiction over township finances.
A resident from Haverhill told the Butler County Board of County Commissioners during public comment that gravel from a township stockpile is gone and “money's missing from the books,” alleging possible theft and asking the county to investigate.
Commissioners told the speaker the county does not control township finances and advised the resident and township trustees to report suspected theft to the sheriff's department and the county attorney so detectives and, if warranted, a forensic accountant can follow the paper trail. “First thing that needs to happen is somebody needs to call and make a report with the sheriff,” a commissioner said during the exchange.
The resident said township records had been reviewed by some individuals and that township trustees encouraged the speaker to bring the concern to the commission. The resident also named trustee John Schneider during remarks and spoke about trustees and other local people, including a Jeremy Johnson, in the course of describing who was involved locally.
Commissioners repeatedly clarified that township accounts are managed by township trustees and that the county lacks authority to control township disbursements. One commissioner said the usual process is to file a report with the sheriff, which triggers a detective review and potential forensic accounting if officers determine there is a case to investigate. The commission also agreed to have county staff encourage the trustees to report the suspected theft to law enforcement.
The public comments drew several follow-up exchanges about whether a particular person had been officially appointed to a township board; commissioners declined to confirm township appointments from the dais and reiterated that any suspected criminal matter should be reported to the sheriff.
The commission did not take formal action on the allegation; the discussion ended with direction to encourage a report to law enforcement and the county attorney so any criminal investigation could proceed.
