MOUNT VERNON — A former fiscal officer for the Knox County engineer’s office pleaded guilty to three charges Thursday in Knox County Common Pleas Court.
Chester E. Woods III pleaded guilty to theft in office, insurance fraud, and having weapons while under disability.
Woods waived his right to be indicted by a grand jury on the theft and insurance fraud charges, choosing instead prosecution by information.
According to Special Prosecutor Thomas Anger, between March 2018 and April 2020, Woods used a county credit card to purchase items for personal use. Those items were found at his home when the Knox County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant.
The theft charge is a fourth-degree felony. It carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.
Anger said that the insurance fraud charge stems from Woods claiming he sustained a dental injury from a food product. Woods filed a claim with the food product’s insurance carrier even though he knew the claim was fraudulent. The carrier paid Woods $2,000.
The insurance fraud, which occurred between June 2019 and December 2019, is a fifth-degree felony. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 months and a maximum fine of $2,500.
Woods was indicted on the weapons charge in August 2020. When executing a search warrant relating to the theft investigation at Woods’ home in July 2020, the KCSO found a 9mm pistol. Woods is barred from having weapons due to a 2005 felony conviction in Wayne County.
The 2005 charge stems from Woods and an accomplice holding up two businesses at gunpoint. Woods served six years for the offense, the last two years under community control.
On the theft charge, Woods will pay $9,076 in restitution and $8,785 for audit costs incurred by the county during the investigation. He will pay $2,000 in restitution on the insurance fraud charge in addition to court costs for all three cases.
Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel ordered a presentence investigation and set a sentencing date of June 9. Woods was released on a recognizance bond.
Woods initially pleaded not guilty on the weapons charge and was scheduled for a jury trial in November 2020. The trial was continued a number of times.
In September 2021, Woods’ attorney, Patrick Brown, requested another continuance in expectation of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office presenting additional charges to the grand jury.
Acknowledging the length of time it took to bring the charges before the court, Anger said financial cases are difficult and challenging to prosecute.
“With cases like this, we are absolutely meticulous and diligent in reviewing all of the records that we acquire,” he said. “We go through those figures and make sure there was a loss and make sure there is no legal reason for those losses.
“We would never want to prosecute someone if they had not committed a crime.”
Woods joined the engineer’s office in October 2016. County Engineer Cameron Keaton previously said that he became aware of Woods’ alleged unauthorized purchases on May 13, 2020, at which time he began conducting an internal investigation. Woods was terminated on May 25, 2020.
