"Richwood’s mayor, chief of police and former city clerk were all arrested and charged with embezzlement and other offenses Friday morning. The town's former mayor [Bob Baber, pictured] told the Gazette-Mail that he's also been told he will face criminal charges.

The charges were filed hours before the West Virginia State Auditor’s office was scheduled to host a press conference at Richwood City Hall to release findings of a report into the town's efforts to recover from the devastating June 2016 flood.

Richwood Mayor Chris Drennen [pictured] faces one felony count of embezzlement. According to a criminal complaint filed in Nicholas County Magistrate Court, when she served as city recorder, Drennen “deemed herself” a member of a group of volunteers formed to organize recovery efforts after the flood known as an “Incident Command Structure.”

Drennen earned a total of more than $45,000 between July 2016 and January 2017, having set her own salary at $30 per hour, without the knowledge of City Council, according to the complaint. Drennen allegedly signed many of the checks to herself."

wvgazettemail.com/news/cops_and_courts/richwood-town-officials-arrested-charged-with-embezzlement-other-offenses/article_a823fe4f-dd68-55b1-81a1-5edd7efcc6aa.html