MADISON, W.Va. — Two former employees of the Boone County Schools transportation system are headed to prison for stealing from the county’s coffers.
Former Transportation Director Bryan Jarrell and former bus mechanic Tracy Harvey received a sentence of 1 to 10 years in prison for their role in using county school funds to make personal purchases.
“I wouldn’t say they had an explanation of why it was done, and to be hones there’s not a good explanation for what it was done other than maybe pure greed,” said Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Keith Randolph. “However, I think both of them showed at least some level of remorse.”
The pair admitted to ordering tools and other equipment through bus garage vendors and using the county’s coffers to pay for those items which they would then keep for themselves. Investigators believe they used the scam to steal thousands of dollars worth of equipment from county taxpayers.
“It’s extremely egregious,” said Randolph. “Add on top of that the declining revenues and the struggles our local school system has had in recent years added insult to injury.”
The Boone County School Board was forced to lay off numerous employees, close schools, and make drastic cuts in recent years amid a dwindling budget all while Jarrell and Harvey used those same funds for personal gain.
The damage runs deep according to Randolph.
“I think our school system probably struggles from some level of distrust because of this,” Randolph said. “Hopefully what happened in the courtroom will alleviate some of that distrust and allow us to move on for the betterment of the kids and the community.”
The investigation which uncovered the actions of Jarrell and Harvey also resulted in the indictment of two former members of the Boone County School Board. Mark Sumpter and Danny Cantley face charges of accepting gifts from school system vendors while serving on the Board of Education in violation of ethics laws. The two have not yet been formally arraigned on the charges.