Published: September 12, 2008 10:20 pm         

Suspended OES director resigns after being indicted

SUMMERSVILLE — Suspended Nicholas County Emergency Services Director Joey DeRito resigned this week after being indicted by a county grand jury.

DeRito, 54, of Richwood, was indicted on three counts of falsifying accounts. He is accused of paying for hotel rooms and a male enhancement drug with a county-issued credit card between October 2007 and March 2008. He is also accused of using a county purchase order to have repairs made to suspended emergency services employee Robin Evans’ personal vehicle.

DeRito and Evans were arrested in June following a State Police investigation. According to criminal complaints, DeRito checked into the Fayetteville Quality Inn no fewer than five times. On at least three of those instances, DeRito, along with Evans, allegedly traveled to the hotel in a vehicle registered to the county.

On March 18, the complaints stated, DeRito paid $67.67 for the lodging with his county-issued BB&T bank card. The following day, DeRito allegedly signed and turned in a purchase order claiming the stay was for one night and one person.

The complaints also alleged that on Oct. 17, 2007, DeRito used a Nicholas County Commission Wal-Mart credit card to purchase a $29.96 package of a “male enhancement product” from the Summersville Wal-Mart.

DeRito and Evans were both charged with using county funds to pay for $421.87 in repairs to Evans’ personal vehicle in April.

The two were initially suspended with pay. But on Sept. 3, the county commission made the suspensions without pay.

Evans was charged with one count of falsifying accounts, but her case was not presented to this week’s grand jury.

Meanwhile, the grand jury handed up a felony indictment against Howard “Sonny” Neil, 71, of Lockwood, charging him with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of sexual abuse by a guardian or custodian.

Neil is accused of sexual assaulting a female child from January 1998 through December 2002. The child was 11 when the alleged abuse began.

Other indictments include:

- Paul Russell, 42, of Craigsville, failure to register or provide notice of registration changes as a sexual offender.

- Jason Eric Brugnoli, 35, of Fenwick, second-offense petit larceny and two counts of uttering.

- Richard Moses, 39, of Mocksville, N.C., Jeremiah Cole, address not listed, and Robert Bragg, address not listed, daytime burglary, conspiracy to commit daytime burglary and grand larceny.

- Terry Lee Hughes, 36, of Nettie, transferring stolen property.

- James Stevens, 32, of Fenwick, three counts of failure to register or provide changes as a sexual offender.

- Richard White, 40, of Mount Nebo, possession with intent to deliver a Schedule II non-narcotic controlled substance.

- Steven Lewis, 27, of Webster Springs, sexual assault in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, incest and sexual abuse by a parent or guardian.

- Julie Spinks, 38, of Summersville, robbery in the second degree and conspiracy to commit robbery.

- Shelly Lee Barnett, aka Shelly Lee King, 23, of Dille, two counts of second-offense petit larceny.

- James Willard Louk, 22, of Summersville, and Mindy Ann Foor, 27, of Mount Lookout, attempting to obtain possession of a controlled substance by fraud.

- Daniel Dudding, 48, of Mount Lookout, four counts each of incest and sexual abuse by a parent or guardian.

- Gary Wayne Spinks, 59, of Birch River, 12 counts of failure to register or change information for a sexual offender.

- Wesley Woodrum, address not listed, fleeing from an officer while under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol.

- Michelle Dawn Fletcher, address not listed, possession with intent to deliver a Schedule I non-narcotic controlled substance, conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance and transportation of a controlled substance to the state.