Delaware County Commissioners have removed John Coutinho from his position as Executive Director of the Emergency Management Agency. This decision follows a vote of no confidence from the Emergency Management Advisory Council on June 10.

Background

The move is a result of a multi-year Indiana State Police investigation into financial misconduct within the county’s emergency services. John Coutinho’s wife, Meagan R. Coutinho, was arrested earlier in June on multiple felony charges, including theft, official misconduct, and conflict of interest.

Meagan Coutinho, the former office manager for Delaware County EMS, allegedly stole nearly $200,000 from local agencies, including more than $181,000 in unauthorized overtime pay and thousands of dollars in unauthorized transfers from an internal EMS benevolence fund.

Response and Next Steps

Delaware County Commissioner Shannon Henry led the effort to stabilize the department, praising the performance of the current deputy director during the crisis. The commissioners have promoted Deputy Director Cory Kissik to the role of Executive Director, contingent upon a thorough review and amendment of the job description to better insulate the county against financial and procedural vulnerabilities.

Original reporting: 93.1 WIBC (Indianapolis) — read the source article.