Former Kansas fire chief receives probation for theft

A Leavenworth County judge sentenced a former fire chief to 12 months of probation Wednesday for stealing $14,000 that he was supposed to use remodeling his fire station.

Jeffery Theno, formerly the chief of the Fairmont Township Fire Department in Basehor, admitted in December that he took the money from the township but never purchased supplies or performed any work.

The problem came to light when the township’s treasurer, Brandon Roberts, became curious after Theno made repeated requests for money, said Leavenworth County Attorney Todd G. Thompson. That led to an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Leavenworth County Sherirff’s Department.

Mark Morris, mmorris@kcstar.com