Ex-Warden Fire Chief Accused Of Stealing $30K+ To Support Gambling Habit

A former Grant County fire chief is facing criminal charges after investigators say he committed malfeasance by repeatedly forging checks in order to steal over $30,000 from a local fire district.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says its Major Crimes Unit was contacted on Nov. 13, 2024 after the Board of Commissioners for Grant County Fire District No. 4 found discrepancies in its bank, credit card, and petty cash accounts.

Investigators linked the inconsistencies to then Fire Chief Kevin Whitaker, who they say redirected over $30,000 that was intended for the Fire District's bank account into its petty cash account between October, 2022 and November, 2024 in order to maintain a steady flow of money into its coffers.

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Detectives say they found evidence indicating the 34-year-old Whitaker forged the signatures of the District's secretary and commissioners more than 150 times to make 102 withdrawals totaling in excess of $30,000 from the petty cash account during the same timeframe. The account requires two approved signatories in order to access or make withdrawals.

It is suspected that Whitaker stole the money to support a gambling addiction.

The Grant County Prosecutor's Office has received a recommendation from investigators that Whitaker be charged with multiple counts of both forgery and theft.

Whitaker was hired in August, 2022 and placed on administrative leave when the missing funds surfaced in November, 2024. He has since permanently separated from the department but Sheriff's spokesperson, Kyle Foreman, says there are conflicting stories about whether Whitaker was terminated or quit.

The Fire District now has an interim chief, Travis Svilar, who Foreman says is in the process of working with commissioners to make improvements to the safeguarding and security protocol of the District's monetary accounts to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.