Wood River Levee District secretary and treasurer Jamie L. Butkovich, 37, has been charged with theft of between $10,000 and $100,000 and official misconduct, amid reports that at least one employee of the district was having "paycheck problems."
According to information charged by the Madison County state's attorney office on Wednesday, Butkovich misappropriated levee district funds between March 1, 2017 and Sept. 12.
The theft charge is a class 2 felony, punishable by three to seven years in state prison; the official misconduct charge is a class 3 felony charge, punishable by two to five years.
A day before charges were filed, county chairman Kurt Prenzler called for a forensic audit of the district after being told by district trustee Ron Carnell that a police investigation involving potential theft was under way.
Metro East Sanitary District director Steve Adler also got involved in calling for investigation when persons familiar with the situation contacted him about an employee paycheck problem.
Wood River police reportedly arrested Butkovich on Wednesday.
Several messages have been left with the Wood River Police Department seeking additional information and the police report, but chief Brad Wells has not responded.