A fire chief accused of taking nearly $180,000 from the department he led is under arrest.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Matthew White, the chief of the South Greensburg Fire Department, has been arrested in South Carolina and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
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In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, state police said they had not received a tip concerning the stolen money. Instead, investigators say White’s relatives called on Monday, claiming they had no idea where he was and were concerned he would harm himself.
While checking to see if he had lately used any credit cards, investigators discovered a $3000 withdrawal from the fire department.
This led them to discover that over $178,000 had been taken from the agency, and White was eventually discovered in another state.
“I guess if there’s a bright side to this, he wasn’t hurt,” Trooper Steve Limani said. “He didn’t hurt himself. He was able to be taken into custody without any type of incident. He’ll be brought back here and we’ll work through the horrible scenario of all of the money being removed from a volunteer fire department that’s been very active in the community in South Greensburg.”
It’s unclear when White will be returned to Westmoreland County on a single allegation of theft by illegal taking.
