Melton, 38, of Springboro, submitted his resignation July 2. His case will be heard by a Greene County grand jury Aug. 5.
Tiffany said he was checking expense receipts Melton filed earlier this year when he found out that Melton also had claimed to be working at the fire station at the same time. Tiffany said that led to further investigation.
The warrant also says Melton represented himself as a Level 2 firefighter/paramedic, when records from the Ohio Department of Public Safety show he only reached Level 1 certification. Melton was ineligible to be hired as a full-time firefighter in Sugarcreek Twp. without a Level 2 certification.
Greene County First Assistant Prosecutor Suzanne Schmidt said that misrepresentation could add up to more than $300,000 when salary, overtime and benefits from multiple years are included.
Melton was hired as a full-time firefighter in 2006, was quickly promoted to lieutenant and then to captain in June 2008, as Tiffany said he appeared to be “a model employee” during his ascent.
But in addition to the certification issue, Sugarcreek officials were unaware that the man they would promote and put in charge of payroll had a previous felony conviction for grand theft from an employer.
After passing a background check and being hired part-time in 2004, Melton was convicted of grand theft in Montgomery County in 2005. His former employer, Scott Industrial Systems, said Melton was a salesman who used an elaborate scheme to defraud the company of thousands of dollars.
Melton was given five years probation, but Sugarcreek Twp. said it was not notified of the conviction, and Melton had no jail time to deal with, so he continued as a part-time firefighter. Tiffany said the background check in 2006 when Melton was hired full-time was less detailed and didn’t reveal the conviction.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@daytondailynews.com.
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