Ex-fire chief to spend 60 days in jail for working two jobs

(The Center Square) – A former small-town fire chief in north central Ohio will spend 60 days in jail after pleading guilty to working full-time jobs for multiple public agencies simultaneously.

Matthew Wells, who served as chief of the Crestline Fire Department, must also pay more than $26,000 in restitution and be under community control for 48 months. He also won’t be able to be employed in the public sector again, according to Ohio Auditor Keith Faber.

The sentencing came earlier this week at the Richland County Courthouse, where Wells had recently entered a guilty plea to felony counts of tampering with records and theft in office.

Faber said the crimes were uncovered during a probe by his Special Investigations Unit, which had received a complaint two public entities were paying Wells for the same hours worked.

The unit found Wells worked for the Ohio Department of Education, the Springfield Township Fire Department in Richland County and the Pleasant Township Fire Department in Marion County. He claimed the same working hours for two of the agencies.