ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. — The county director of a fire and EMS is facing a slew of fraud and forgery charges.
The Roanoke Times reported that Brandon Mitchell, Rockbridge County’s director of fire and EMS, defrauded a bank after obtaining a loan for $30,000. He pledged his 2016 Porsche Cayenne SUV as collateral for the loan and then sold it without the bank’s knowledge.
Two weeks later, police brought additional charges of forgery, saying the loan included a county pay stub that had been altered.
Mitchell was arrested a third time on April 7 and charged with forging court records to conceal earlier charges brought against him in Oregon, where he misappropriated more than $2,000 from the Jackson County Fire Department where he worked as battalion chief.
Mitchell is no longer employed by Rockbridge County. Officials said they are not aware of evidence indicating that Mitchell misappropriated funds in Rockbridge County.
Mitchell, who was one of about 40 applicants for the job in Rockbridge County, was hired by the board in full confidence. It was not until March 14 that officials learned about the charges in Oregon.
“Due to the fact that this situation involves both criminal and administrative investigations, the county has no further comment,” a statement read.
When Mitchell was hired, officials were scrambling to fill the position after the previous director quit after four months on the job. At the time, six felony charges were pending against Mitchell in Oregon. It was not until Jan. 2015 that an investigation was completed and submitted for prosecution. Two weeks later, a grand jury returned indictments against Mitchell, creating the first official record of the charges.