Ex-police chief gets 90 days for theft in office

A former Somerset police chief was sentenced Thursday to 90 days in jail for using the Perry County village’s credit card to pay for testosterone supplements and other personal expenses.

Jeremy VanDermark racked up nearly $ 5,737 in improper purchases, which also included meals, tires and fuel for his personal car, car washes and other purchases, Ohio Auditor Dave Yost said in a news release.

Perry County Common Pleas Judge Tina Boyer sentenced VanDermark for theft in office, a fourth- degree felony to which he pleaded guilty on Aug. 9. She ordered him to report to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville on Oct. 4. Besides the jail time, the judge sentenced him to three years of probation.

VanDermark was police VanDermark chief from 2013 to Dec. 5, 2016, when he resigned after the village council discovered he billed the village $ 547 for tires that he put on his personal car, not on the police cruiser, Yost said.

Auditor’s investigators then found additional unlawful purchases. They found that VanDermark falsely claimed to be a certified canine handler and took possession of the village police dog, Bowie. VanDermark never used Bowie for police work but billed the village $410 for the dog’s veterinary bills. VanDermark also claimed he bought Progene to treat Bowie for seizures, but later admitted the testosterone supplement was for his personal use, Yost said.

“It is highly disappointing to see someone in such an elevated position of public trust violate it, and do so in such a brazen way,” Yost said. “This case shows that no one, regardless of position of power, is above the law.”