Hambden, OH, Fire Chief Says Oversights in $1.6 Million Theft Won't Happen Again
HAMBDEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Hambden Township Fire Chief Scott Hildenbrand said the nonprofit department is tightening financial controls and replacing its accountant after an alleged $1.6 million theft went undetected for years.
Douglas Lundblad, a longtime Hambden resident, pressed officials during Wednesday’s township trustee meeting about what changes are being made following the indictment of former Hambden Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief and Treasurer Richard Vandevander.
Vandevander, 59, is accused of stealing about $1.6 million from the department between January 2023 and May 2026. He was indicted Monday on five felony charges, including aggravated theft and telecommunications fraud.
The fire department is a private nonprofit that contracts with Hambden Township to provide fire and emergency medical services. The township pays the department with taxpayer money under that contract.
Lundblad told officials he wants to know where oversight broke down and what is being done to prevent it from happening again.
“There were oversight failures,” Lundblad said. “They need to be identified internally and ensure it never happens again.”
Lundblad warned that the alleged theft could have consequences at the ballot box if residents lose faith in how their tax dollars are being handled. He told cleveland.com he would be hesitant to support a future levy if he believed money was being mismanaged.
“They may not vote for the road levy or they may not vote for the next time the EMS or fire services comes up for a levy,” Lundblad said during the meeting.
Township trustees did not detail any new oversight measures they plan to implement during the meeting. Trustee Dave Johnson, the township’s liaison to the fire department, told Lundblad he agreed with his concerns and called the situation a “tough nut.”
Hildenbrand, who also serves as Geauga County sheriff, said the department has already begun implementing additional safeguards.
More than one person will now sign off on payroll, Hildenbrand said, and multiple people have access to the department’s banking app so transactions can be monitored.
“This is a huge embarrassment to all of us,” Hildenbrand said. “... I guarantee you we are doing everything we can so this can never happen again.”
The department is also working with its bank to determine whether electronic transfers can require approval from more than one person. Hildenbrand said that while checks can require two signatures, the department learned that its bank did not have a similar requirement for transfers.
If the bank cannot provide additional safeguards, Hildenbrand said the department will consider switching banks. He did not disclose what bank the department uses.
The department also plans to replace the accountant it had been using to prepare its tax filings and review its finances.
“The accountant would look at it, file our taxes and say everything was good, and obviously was not,” Hildenbrand said.
He said the department is considering two other accounting firms that have been recommended. Hildenbrand said the department believed it had safeguards in place before discovering the alleged theft, but now recognizes they were not enough.
“We thought we were doing as much as we could,” he said in an interview after the meeting. “Obviously wasn’t enough, but we tried.”
Hildenbrand said he had known Vandevander for more than 25 years and that Vandevander had served as department treasurer for about 22 years.
“Everybody’s angry,” Hildenbrand said. “That he would do this to us.”
Lundblad told cleveland.com after the meeting that he believes the alleged theft exposed a broader problem with relying on personal relationships instead of financial safeguards.
Lundblad, who has lived in Hambden for 23 years, said close relationships are common in small communities, but trust cannot replace accountability.
“I think it’s systemic. I think it cascades,” Lundblad said.
He said the township also needs to examine its oversight because taxpayer money goes toward the fire and emergency medical services provided by the department.
“The two entities, the fire department and the trustees, they need to sit down and figure out where the process broke down and ensure it never happens again,” he said.
Lundblad said he wants officials to determine where safeguards failed and show residents that stronger protections have been put in place.
“If they take steps into fixing the process so it doesn’t happen again in the future, they’ll have my trust,” Lundblad said. “They just need to be able to fix the process.”
Hildenbrand said the department is continuing to look for additional safeguards as officials learn more about how the alleged theft occurred.
“We are learning every day of ways to make sure that this can’t happen again,” Hildenbrand said.
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