Delaware County Suspends EMS and EMA Directors

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind.-c

They voted to suspend EMA Director John Coutinho indefinitely with pay and EMS Director Mike Ashley for three days without pay.

The meeting only lasted a few minutes. The commissioners and their attorney, John Brooke, did not discuss the specific reasons for the suspensions. They did, however, talk about a State Police investigation that involves a Delaware County employee for theft.

But they did refer to an ongoing Indiana State Police investigation that Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman has said involves “an allegation of internal theft committed by a Delaware County employee.”

Ashley was suspended for three days without pay due to “unsatisfactory work”, according to Brooke.

“Because of the nature of these investigations going on, the commissioners want to have a discussion about and decide what to do with those positions. A letter will be prepared for each of those positions to advise them of the action that was being taken in this meeting and being delivered to each of those individuals,” said Brooke.

The prosecutor and the commissioners won’t say who the targets of the investigation are at this time. The investigation started earlier this month.

Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman did say that the investigation started shortly after they got an anonymous tip regarding accusations of theft by the Delaware County employee.

Delaware County, with nearly 113,000 residents, is located about an 80-minute drive northeast of downtown Indianapolis.