An Owen County commissioner has been arrested following an Indiana State Police investigation into personal use of county funds.
Indiana State Police Senior Trooper Detective Brad Stille was assigned an investigation on August 9, after requests from authorities to look into possible official misconduct or conflict of interest by current Owen County Commissioner, Dale E. Dubois.
The investigation revealed that Dubois, 82, of Poland, allegedly directed Owen County employees to conduct repairs to a county-funded roadway to ease access to the adjacent property for potential citizens. According to Indiana State Police, in reality, its alleged purpose was solely for Dubois's personal advantage and all work ordered and completed by county employees failed to have any benefit to Owen County government or its citizens.
After a complete review of the investigation by S/Trp. Stille, Owen County Prosecutor, Donald Van Der Moere II, asked for a warrant to be issued for Dubois's arrest. A warrant was issued by Owen County Circuit Court on November 2. Dubois surrendered himself to the Owen County Jail later in the evening where he was held on a $7,500 bond with 10% allowed.
Charges against Dubois include:
- Official Misconduct of a Public Servant, Level 6 Felony
- Conflict of Interest, Level 6 Felony
- Theft, Class A Misdemeanor
