5 N.H. public works employees charged with misuse of public funds

The charges include theft and credit card fraud.

Five municipal employees from the town of Seabrook were arrested Friday in connection with an investigation involving the misuse of public funds, authorities said.

In March, the Seabrook Police Department requested help from the New Hampshire State Police to investigate a theft involving several Town of Seabrook Department of Public Works employees, police said in a statement.

The alleged thefts were uncovered during a routine audit of purchases that the employees made, the statement said.

At 7 a.m., troopers arrived at the DPW facility and arrested Casey Carter, 42, Shauna Carter, 40, and Ralph Welch, 52, all of Seabrook, on felony charges of theft by deception and fraudulent use of a credit card, police said. Forrest Carter, 62, of Seabrook, and Herbert Randall, 66, of Effingham, were both arrested on misdemeanor charges of theft by deception and fraudulent use of a credit card.

All of the employees were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in Hampton District Court on Nov. 14 at 8 a.m.

Troopers also executed two search warrants at the time of the arrests, which allowed them to recover items related to the investigation, they said.

Lindsay Shachnow covers general assignment news for Boston.com, reporting on breaking news, crime, and politics across New England.