Former Evans Mills fire chief indicted

A former chief of the Evans Mills Fire Department has been indicted on charges that he stole more than $3,000 from the department while serving as chief.

Howard J. O'Brien, 40, faces counts of third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

The charges were contained in a grand jury indictment unsealed Friday morning in Jefferson County Court. It is alleged that he stole money from the department between January 2003 and May 2007.

A state police investigator said the charges stem from an accounting audit of the department and an investigation by the state police's financial crimes unit. The investigator said the exact amount allegedly taken has not been determined.

Mr. O'Brien pleaded not guilty to the charges this morning and was released on his own recognizance.

Mr. O'Brien, who served 15 years on the fire squad, resigned as chief in January 2007, citing negative media attention that stemmed from the arrest of a squad member for arson. Following that arrest, it was reported in the Watertown Daily Times and elsewhere that Mr. O'Brien had been convicted in 1987 of two counts of arson.