The assistant chief of the Lavonia volunteer fire department was arrested Monday for theft, allegedly for purchasing several items that were not for use by the department.
Shane Bentley, 41, of Lavonia, turned himself in to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.
The arrest was the result of an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concerning unauthorized purchases made with Lavonia city funds. The Lavonia Police Department last month asked the GBI office in Athens to investigate after city officials discovered unusually high expenditures by the volunteer fire department.
The purchases took place over several months. Some were unaccounted for and were not made specifically for the fire department.
