Four City of Geary employees are in hot water over unauthorized use of a city credit card to put fuel in their personal vehicles.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed September 8, Geary Mayor Lois Hicks contacted the Geary Chief of Police JJ Stitt because she had seen a city employee, Jacob Pace, put fuel into his personal vehicle at the ASAP station. Hicks asked the clerk for a copy of the receipt, which totaled $98.
Hicks then printed an activity report for the fuel account card from July 230 and noted there were 12 receipts missing.
A Blaine County deputy accessed the surveillance video and receipts for the purchases on the activity report. In the meantime, Hicks had run an additional activity report with multiple questionable fuel purchases. That led to more surveillance tape and receipts being gathered from the gas station.
That evidence resulted in Pace being issued his Miranda rights and during an interview stating he, Landon ‘Buck’ Brumley, Andrew Brumley and John Olsen had all made unauthorized purchases using the card. The statement was verified by the tapes and receipts.
Pace wrote a statement indicating he was sorry for his actions and accepted responsibility for them.
Later that day, August 18, Buck Brumley was questioned about the card use and said he had used it on three occasions to fuel two different personal vehicles. He also said he was aware his brother, Andrew Brumley, had used the card.
He said he would sometimes contact Pace to get the fuel card. Buck Brumley also wrote a statement apologizing after he had identified himself and others on the surveillance tapes.
Andrew Brumley was interviewed by telephone, during which he also admitted to using the card for fuel for his personal vehicles. In an email he stated his reason was that he had no money or way home because he was out of fuel.
A few days later, John Olsen was called in for questioning but before he could be read his Miranda rights he stated he had used the card for unauthorized fuel purchases to put fuel in both his daughters’ cars. He declined to make a written statement but told law enforcement he would make one at a later date.
The affidavit shows Buck Brumley made eight transactions valued at $501; Pace made five purchase at a value of $374; Andrew Brumley made four transactions valued at $232 and Olsen made two valued at $86.50.
Both Brumleys were placed under arrest and charged with as an employee that diverted money to a purpose other than its appropriation, conspiracy to commit a felony and credit or debit card fraud. Pace and Olsen were also arrested and face similar charges, all felonies.