The sheriff of Roane County, West Virginia, was arrested Tuesday and charged with grand larceny two days after taking office.
Investigators say Matthew “Bo” Williams stole methamphetamine from the evidence room of the Spencer Police Department where he worked as an officer prior to being elected Roane County’s top cop in November 2016, according to court documents released Tuesday.
Mr. Williams, 31, surrendered to authorities Tuesday afternoon after a criminal complaint was unsealed formally accusing him of stealing more than $1,000 in evidence, mainly meth, and was subsequently freed on a $50,000 property bond.
A hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to decide if local officials should permanently bar the sheriff from Roane County offices, West Virginia Metro News reported.
As of Tuesday evening, however, he told WSAZ-TV that he he intends to keep running the sheriff’s office “to the best of his abilities,” the news station reported.
While serving as a sergeant with the Spencer Police Department, Mr. Williams campaigned unopposed for the job of Roane County sheriff and was elected on Nov. 8.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, weeks earlier the police officer had acquired the keys to the Spencer Police evidence room and soon began stealing contraband.
Around $1,000 worth of evidence, mostly meth, was discovered missing from the Spencer evidence room in late November, and eventually yielded a confession from the sheriff-elect after some of the drugs were found in his patrol car and desk, according to the complaint.
“Williams initially denied any knowledge of the missing evidence, but later stated that he took the evidence and had been using methamphetamine for over one year,” the criminal complaint reads in part.
The sheriff-elect was placed on administrative leave from the Spencer Police Department on Nov. 25, and formally resigned from the force on Dec. 12. In the interim, he began a stint at an out-of-state rehab facility, Metro News reported Dec. 2.
Mr. Williams formally began as Roane County sheriff on Sunday and was arrested Tuesday afternoon. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years behind bars if convicted of the single charge of grand larceny.
Also Tuesday, Roane County Commissioners Melissa O’Brien, Merlin Shamblin and Randy Whited offered a resolution asking for the sheriff to be formally removed from office. If a circuit judge agrees to hear their complaint, a three-judge panel will be convened to weigh the case and consider his removal in a recommendation to the West Virginia Supreme Court.
“I think it is important for our taxpaying citizens to have a sheriff that is upstanding, moral, and ethical, and he admitted to being a meth addict, so I think it’s important for us to start this process. After this, it’s up to a panel of judges to decide if that’s appropriate or not,” Ms. O’Brien, president of the Roane County Commission, told WSAZ-TV.
The sheriff’s predecessor, former Roane County Sheriff Todd Cole, has since been appointed to serve as chief deputy in charge of law enforcement operations.
A preliminary court hearing concerning the grand larceny charge has been scheduled for Jan. 11, The Associated Press reported.
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