WAYNE, W.Va. — A Putnam County prosecutor says they’ll be doing a thorough review of the Wayne County Assessor’s Office after the assessor was arrested for allegedly running up more than $5,000 in personal purchases on a county credit card.
Mark Sorsaia was appointed the special prosecutor on the case of Eric Hodges, 41, of Wayne who was taken into custody Tuesday night. Hodges was charged with embezzlement, computer fraud and fraudulent use of a credit card.
“It’s my impression that the card might have been bouncing. I think that the County Commission or the County Clerk probably got wind of the fact that the card was attempting to be used and was perhaps maxed out,” Sorsaia told MetroNews Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, Hodges used the card to buy tools, a rifle, pistol, ammunition and other assorted hardware items at a Webster Springs hardware store.
“If you’re in Wayne, you don’t do it in Webster County. Why are you in Webster County doing it? It just raises suspicions,” said Sorsaia. “It’s things that definitely would not be purchased in the standard course of business at an Assessor’s Office.”
Investigators said the purchases occurred between July 9 and July 14. The charges added up to $5,600. Not one of the purchased items were authorized by the County Commission or any commissioner.
Hodges remains in the Western Regional Jail.