Special Audit Details Investigation into Salt Creek Township Trustee

COLUMBUS — A former Salt Creek Township trustee paid court-ordered restitution of $865 after he admitted using a township truck to haul gravel to a family member’s residence.

The total against James Fox included $825 in audit costs after the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched an investigation into the incident.

A special audit detailing the investigation was released Thursday and is available online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.

SIU received a complaint in March 2024 that Fox had used a township truck to haul township-owned gravel to a family member’s property for personal use.

Fox was indicted in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court in June 2025 and pleaded guilty in September 2025 to a misdemeanor count of soliciting or accepting improper compensation.

As part of a plea agreement, he resigned as trustee and made restitution of $865, including $40 repaid to the township. His sentence also included a $1,000 fine and prohibitions on public employment in Ohio for seven years.

Thursday’s special audit report includes a finding for recovery matching the court-ordered restitution, which was repaid.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 156 convictions resulting in more than $16.4 million in restitution (see Map of SIU Convictions since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

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The Auditor of State’s Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.

Public Affairs
Contact: Marc Kovac
press@ohioauditor.gov