NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- New Chapel Fire and EMS is restructuring its leadership after terminating former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel following his indictment on dozens of felony charges. 

Jamey Noel was arrested in November 2023 on 15 charges related to fraud, theft, misconduct and public corruption after a nearly yearlong investigation. Another 10 charges were filed against him in early February. Those charges include theft and tax evasion. His wife, Misty, and 27-year-old daughter Kasey, are also facing charges of theft and tax evasion. 

Noel is accused of racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges on credit cards linked to New Chapel Fire and EMS. 

Matt Owen, the new president and CEO of New Chapel said following Jamey Noel's arrest in Nov. 2023, Noel was placed on administrative leave and "a process began to have him removed from our company accounts."

"The situation which has led us to where we are is something that we're going through," Owen said. "This is not who we are as an organization."

Owen said he and other members are appalled by the allegations against their former CEO. Owen said New Chapel has continued to cooperate with investigators and has re-structured its leadership.

He added the board is already making changes -- specifically restricting purchasing authority and adding new, internal financial controls such as board approval for purchases more than $20,000 and dual signatures on checks for amounts of $5,000 or more. 

"These measures will prevent any one person or position from having unilateral control over company assets moving forward," Owen said. 

The organization is also working to move its staffing model away from a split company model in anticipation of a re-negotiated contract with the New Albany Township Fire District. 

"Previously, under a split company model, duty crews who were dual certified would respond to calls for service in the appropriate apparatus depending on the call type," Owen said. "This has led to instances where firefighters would get tied up on ambulances for extended periods when they could have been standing by for fire related calls for service."

Owen believes EMS improvements will come through enhanced training and said there is a new, full time training officer. 

"The men and women of New Chapel Fire and EMS are committed to enhancing our organization in order to more closely live up to the potential that we always knew was here, but was held back for reasons which were not previously clear," Owen said. 

Owen said a third party audit is expected after more documents from the investigation become available.

"We have had an indication from the investigation that there are no current board members currently expected to be charged," Owen said. 

Jamey, Misty and Kasey Noel have all pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. 

"We are dedicated to rebuilding the public trust that has been taken from us," said Owen. 

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