$39K allegedly misappropriated from rescue squad by married couple

(The Center Square) – A married couple who were former members of the Anderson County Rescue Squad have been charged after the Tennessee Comptroller found they misappropriated more than $39,000 in rescue squad funds.

Alex and Jessica Ridenour were indicted for theft, forgery and conspiracy to commit theft of property.

The Ridenours are accused of writing a combined 22 unauthorized checks and depositing them into their joint bank account between May 2021 and April 2022.

The rescue squad is primarily funded by contributions from Anderson County government, donations and fundraisers.

“This investigation revealed a number of deficient practices within the rescue squad,” Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower said. “These included pre-signing checks, failing to require two signatures on checks, not requiring or retaining adequate documentation for disbursements, and not reviewing and reconciling bank statements. I encourage prompt correction of these issues.”

Jessica Ridenour was rescue squad secretary while Alex Ridenour was assistant chief. The couple both resigned their posts in May 2022.