Kanawha County fire department treasurer arrested for embezzlement

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) – The treasurer of a volunteer fire department has been arrested for embezzlement.

According to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Robert Dwight Evans is accused of embezzling approximately $95,000 from the Handley Volunteer Fire Department’s general account.

The KCSO says between 2022 and 2025, the Kanawha County Commission issued a total of more than $120,000 to the department. They say that between January 2023 and June 2025, more than $95,000 was withdrawn at ATMs with “an unauthorized debit card” that belonged to the Handley VFD. Deputies say Handley was responsible for the transactions of that card.

According to the KCSO, Handley allegedly made a cash deposit into his personal bank account. They say that during that same time period, Handley gambled approximately $37,000 through the FanDuel app.

Deputies say that by June 2025, the department’s account balance had gone from approximately $22,000 to just $142, despite no major purchases. They say several utilities were also left unpaid.

The KCSO says Evans was taken to the South Central Regional Jail, where he is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond. Deputies say the investigation is ongoing and that Evans could face more charges.