Boggs Township supervisor accused of making unauthorized purchases

Theft charges were held to court Tuesday after a preliminary hearing for a Boggs Township supervisor accused of making unauthorized purchases at an auto repair store.

The hearing for Ricky Allan Droll Jr., 46, was held before District Judge Jerry Nevling at the Clearfield County Courthouse.

The other supervisors, William Dickson and Denise Dobo, claim Droll used the township’s NAPA Auto Parts account to make several personal purchases. They are also reportedly looking into options to remove him from his supervisor position.

The first witness in the hearing was Dobo, who explained that she was going through the invoices from NAPA to determine which of the township’s vehicles were costing the most to maintain, when she found an invoice that didn’t match up with their vehicles. It was for a thermostat for a Ford truck and was signed by Droll. She showed the invoice to Dickson and he reportedly said he didn’t remember this part being replaced in their truck.

They checked the vehicle and didn’t see any new parts. She said she checked the rest of the 2016 invoices and found a few other questionable items. In all, there were five invoices with items that she believed were not purchased for the township’s use. One was dated while Droll was on vacation and another was on a Saturday.

Dickson also testified, corroborating Dobo’s story. He said he had four different mechanics examine the Ford truck owned by the township and all of them said it still had the original thermostat.

The thermostat listed on the invoice was for a Ford truck, which is the same model owned by Droll. Other items allegedly purchased by Droll include masking tape, sanding discs, undercoat sealer, UltraPro body seal and cut off-wheel, according to the affidavit.

Assistant District Attorney Warren Mikesell noted in his questioning that Droll approved each purchase in his role as supervisor and signed the checks. During his cross examinations, Droll’s defense attorney, Anthony DeBoef, asked Dobo and Dickson if they purchased parts for their vehicles through the township. Both times Mikesell objected but Nevling allowed the witnesses to answer. Dobo and Dickson both denied doing this.

After taking a few minutes to review the information, Nevling dismissed one of the invoices from the case because although it had Droll’s name on it, everyone agreed it was not his signature, leaving a total of $177.34 in purchases allegedly made for Droll’s own use. Nevling then ruled to send the misdemeanor theft and receiving stolen property charges on to the Court of Common Pleas. Droll’s bail was set at $5,000, unsecured.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Boggs Township supervisor accused of making unauthorized purchases."