Former Chester County Official Charged With Skimming Over $300K
By David Madden
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) - The former treasurer of a Chester County volunteer fire company is charged with ripping them off over a six-year period to the tune of more than $300,000.
Fifty-seven-year-old Hower Smith III of Coatesville was a member of the Westwood Fire Company since he was a teenager -- following in the footsteps of his dad. But investigators were called in after the department was alerted Smith was allegedly using their credit card on his vacation in Hawaii a couple of years ago.
Chester County First Assistant DA Mike Noone says Smith lived the high life for a while:
"He did this by betraying the trust that the fire company put in him by making him the treasurer of the fire department."
Smith is free pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for later in the month after pleading not guilty.
His attorney says he looks forward to a "fair process where these accusations can be resolved."
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