Two, including fire chief, facing charges of theft and abuse of public trust

PERRY COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Two people have been indicted and arrested following an investigation into alleged misuse of fire department funds in Perry County.

According to police, James Farris, the chief of the Jakes Branch Fire Department, and his girlfriend, Sharla Stacy, are facing charges of theft by unlawful taking and abuse of public trust.

Investigators say they began looking into the couple after allegations surfaced that department funds had been misappropriated. The investigation determined that Farris used thousands of dollars from the department for personal expenses.

The findings were presented to a grand jury, which returned indictments for both Farris and Stacy. They were taken into custody and placed in jail.