BUCKHANNON, W. Va. — After guilty pleas from a former highway administrator and a former supervisor at the Division of Highways in Buckhannon, the U.S. Attorney for West Virginia’s Northern District says there will be further investigation.
“They are smaller fish in this pond that we are looking at,” William Ihlenfeld said. “I don’t when it will end or where it will end but they are very important pieces to this.”
In August, Edward Matthew Tuttle, 38, of Buckhannon pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement to a federal agent after the FBI questioned him about the misuse of state resources. The investigation stemmed from the delivery of a large truck he made, on state time, to Baltimore.
On Wednesday, Barry D. Thompson, 49, of Mt. Clare, entered guilty pleas to two counts of providing false information to a West Virginia State Trooper in Upshur County Magistrate Court. He admitted to instructing at least one state employee to repair a dump truck previously sold and was also present when a state employee was directed to travel in his state issued vehicle, on state time, to purchase a replacement muffler for the same dump truck, which did not fit. Thompson exchanged it, receiving a refund for the returned muffler. Afterward, both were sold at a discounted rate normally provided to the Division of Highways.
Thompson was sentenced to one year of probation.
He is also under federal indictment for the same crime, but the pending charge could be dropped.
“Part of the deal with Mr. Thompson is that federal indictment remains pending as long as he fully cooperates [with further investigation],” Ihlenfeld said. “We fully anticipate that he will.”
With the goal being a deeper investigation into the DOH Equipment Division and two potential sources of information available, Ihlenfeld said they needed to find a balance between punishment and incentive for Tuttle and Thompson.
“It was important that they be held accountable for their actions, but it’s also important that we ensure their cooperation as we continue to look into this matter,” he said.
As the pieces start to fall into place for this investigation, Ihlenfeld said more complaints and leads have come forth from citizens. The case began with one call from a concerned resident and lead to two suspects and since the cases against Tuttle and Thompson have come about, more calls have come in.
“Every time you think you’re ready to write your final report, something else comes up,” Ihlenfeld said. “That’s just the nature of this particular case.”
While Ihlenfeld was hesitant to discuss a numbers in regard to misuse of state resources, the ongoing investigation leads him to believe it is more than a small-time operation.