INDIAN LAND, S.C. — The former Indian Land fire chief in Lancaster County has been arrested for embezzlement from the department, officials said Thursday.
Thomas Pickard, 52, who resigned after he was charged in December with prostitution in York County, was charged Wednesday.
[READ MORE: Indian Land fire chief charged in prostitution sting near Carowinds]
Pickard was arrested by Lancaster County deputies and charged with a single count of embezzlement of public funds, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Pickard is accused of withdrawing $1,680 from Indian Land Volunteer Fire Department funds between Jan. 8, 2018 and Dec. 13, 2018, according to warrants.
Pickard was being held under a $2,000 bond, according to officials at the Lancaster County jail.
Channel 9's partners at The Herald report that after the arrest in December, Pickard resigned his full-time job as a lieutenant at Lancaster County Fire and Rescue, and also resigned as chief and a member from the Indian Land Fire Department.
Pickard was one of seven people charged with prostitution after a raid at a Carowinds area motel. Police used websites that cater to illegal sex activity as part of that investigation, authorities said.
[ALSO READ: Prostitution arrests increasing along Carowinds Boulevard]
All the arrests were made at a motel near the North Carolina state line, close to Exit 90 off Interstate 77.
The prostitution case remains pending in York County, according to South Carolina court records.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Woman sexually assaulted, stabbed outside southwest Charlotte apartment
- ‘He was the best': Family mourns loss of man killed in crash involving Catawba Co. deputy
- In 6 states, you can sue your marriage's homewrecker
- FORECAST: Lovely, dry and sunny skies in store for Valentine's Day
- Processing Error: Family charged $1,800 for pizza from Domino's
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
