Health official indicted

The health commissioner,
if convicted, could face 71⁄2 years in prison.

LISBON — A Columbiana County grand jury has indicted county Health Commissioner Robert Morehead on charges of theft in office, theft and forgery over his spending practices as health commissioner between December 1996 and February 2004.

Morehead, 58, of Riverside Avenue, Wellsville, was arrested Tuesday on a secret indictment issued last week by the grand jury and was released after signing for a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. He is scheduled for arraignment on the charges Dec. 20 before Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Ashley C. Pike.

The indictment says Morehead stole between $500 and $5,000 from the Columbiana County Health District between Dec. 10, 1996, and Feb. 19, 2004. The thefts resulted in the theft in office and theft charges, which are fourth and fifth-degree felonies.

Two audits conducted by the Ohio auditor’s office determined that Morehead made a variety of inappropriate purchases at a Barnes & Noble bookstore and bought Rolling Stones concert tickets, a watch, and paid hotel and meal expenses. The audits also found that he took cash advances on a county credit card.

Emily Frazee, deputy press secretary for the state auditor, said the theft in office and theft charges relate to many — but not all — of the items found in the audits. She said the amounts Morehead is accused of taking are between $4,000 and $5,000.

Morehead also was indicted on five counts of forgery, fifth-degree felonies, accusing him of defrauding the health district by endorsing receipts at Super America and Farmer Bill’s Carryout — those are gas stations — in amounts ranging from $12 to $17.17. He was submitting receipts for the gas and also receiving mileage reimbursement, or getting double payment, Frazee said.

The forgery charges are fifth-degree felonies. Those offenses are alleged to have occurred between Feb. 24 and Oct. 6, 1998.

If convicted on all the charges, Morehead could go to prison for up to 71⁄2 years.

James Manken, assistant chief legal counsel for the state auditor’s office, was assigned to serve as special prosecutor to handle the investigation into Morehead’s spending practices after the state audits uncovered irregularities.

Manken was assigned after Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron wrote to Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor seeking assistance in the case.

Former state Auditor Betty Montgomery ordered the review of health department spending in 2003 after a series of stories that appeared in The Vindicator.

After that review, Morehead repaid $5,834 for questionable expenses in 2003.

In January this year, the state released its special audit of health department spending from 1996 to 2002. Those years had been audited earlier.

The special audit called for Morehead to repay $5,442. The audit said that amount was spent for activities unrelated to the health board, such as taking cash advances on a county credit card and overpayment for gasoline.

The audit stated some of those findings were “illegal expenditure of public money.”

runyan@vindy.com