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Former Olney Fire Chief Arrested For Jumping Bail

Kenneth Morehead was scheduled to stand trial this month

By Justin Franz
An Olney Fire Department Fire Truck. Photo by Justin Franz.

The former Olney fire chief has been arrested after failing to appear at a required pre-trial conference.

Kenneth Morehead has been charged with bail-jumping and will be arraigned on May 25. Morehead was scheduled to stand trail later this month for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the department he once led.

According to court records, Flathead County Finance Director Sandra Carlson contacted the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office in July 2016 after finding that the Olney Fire Department had a negative balance. An audit of the account found that Morehead had allegedly used the account to fund personal purchases between 2012 and 2016. As county officials dug deeper into the record books, they discovered that tens of thousands of dollars had been spent at local auto parts businesses and grocery markets with little or no documentation.

A few days later, a sheriff’s deputy interviewed Morehead who allegedly admitted to using the fire department’s account for personal purposes.

In court late last year, Morehead denied the theft allegations.

In light of the allegations, Morehead stepped down from both his position as the volunteer fire district’s chief and as a member of the board of trustees overseeing the district, which is funded through county tax dollars.