COLUMBUS — The Meigs County Grand Jury handed down a five-count indictment Wednesday against former Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood following allegations that he withdrew public funds for personal use, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced in a press release.

According to the release Wood faces felony counts of theft in office, telecommunications fraud, and misuse of credit cards and misdemeanor counts of misuse of credit cards and soliciting or accepting improper compensation.

The release said the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) began its investigation of Wood in August 2022, after receiving a complaint from Meigs County Prosecutor James Stanley about the potential misuse of money from the Law Enforcement Trust Fund.

The release said SIU confirmed that Wood used ATMs to withdraw cash from the fund at different locations in Ohio and West Virginia and that an arraignment for Wood in Meigs County Common Pleas Court will be set at a later date.

In a separate release by the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office they said they would like to ensure the citizens of Meigs County that the indictment of the former sheriff will not affect the mission, goals, or daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office. It said they are committed to serving the citizens with the highest level of service and that they will continue to make Meigs County safer and a great place to live.

The release from the Sheriff’s Office said they will continue to be fully transparent and cooperate with the Ohio Auditor’s Office and assist in anyway with the investigation. The release said the Auditor’s Office has been given full access to all financial and other documents pertaining to the investigation, as well as making all employees accessible for making statements.