MUNCIE, IN — The former office manager for Delaware County’s EMS was arrested on Wednesday, June 3, after a theft probe conducted by Indiana State Police.
Meagan Rachelle Coutinho, 42, is being held on suspicion of four counts of theft, along with official misconduct and conflict of interest. Her bond was set at $30,000.
The Albany resident is accused of stealing money between July 2021 and February 2026 while working as the office manager for EMS.
Coutinho allegedly submitted unauthorized claims for 5,872 hours of overtime, resulting in her being paid $181,749.93.
Her supervisors told investigators they never approved or authorized the overtime pay. Coutinho reportedly resigned from her job after being questioned about the overtime payments.
She is also accused of using an EMS credit union account to pay for her personal expenses, including credit card purchases and utility payments.
Those thefts totaled nearly $20,000, investigators said.
One of the theft charges alleges Coutinho was treasurer of a booster club for the Delta High School girls golf team when she stole about $3,800. She reportedly repaid the club that amount in December.
The conflict-of-interest charges allege Coutinho failed to file legal disclosure forms before a business she owned was paid $7,000 for cleaning the county’s 911 dispatch center from January 2025 through February.
Coutinho is also accused of failing to deposit about $12,000 in checks submitted to EMS from agencies including the Salem Township trustee’s office and Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman’s office will determine whether formal charges will be filed in the case.
In late March, the Delaware County commissioners suspended Coutinho’s husband, John, from his duties as director of the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency pending completion of an “internal investigation.”
In a later statement, the commissioners’ attorney, John Brooke, said John Coutinho was “suspended with pay pending an internal investigation regarding funding in another department that works with the Emergency Management Authority.”
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ex-office manager for Delaware County EMS arrested in ISP theft probe
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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By Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
