Crawford County jail warden resigns

Crawford County jail warden Tim Lewis, who is facing charges along with his wife for taking more than $130,000 from a Moose lodge where they served as administrators, has resigned from his warden position.

Lewis had been suspended with pay following his arraignment March 31 on multiple charges for taking the money from the Moose lodge in East Fairfield Township near Cochranton during a more than three-year period.

The Crawford County prison board modified the conditions of Lewis’s suspension to without pay on April 4.

Preliminary hearings for Lewis and his wife, Debra, had been scheduled for earlier this month, but they have been continued to May 2.

Criminal complaints say the money was stolen between May 2011 and October 2014 from the lodge. Investigators say the couple stole the money during a time when they incurred significant gambling losses.

Timothy Lewis served as lodge administrator, meaning one requirement of his position was to oversee lodge activities. That included oversight of the lodge’s social quarters manager, and that position was filled by Debra Lewis.

An investigation began in November 2015 following the Lewis’ departure from their respective positions. A review of financial records showed the lodge’s fund balance and gaming account balance had been nearly depleted, according to criminal complaints.

The case is being prosecuted by deputy attorney general Patrick Schulte of the Office of Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Section.

The Crawford County prison board has appointed deputy warden Kenneth Saulsbery to fill in as acting warden. Saulsbery has been a deputy warden for about 14 years.