SCHUYLKILL COUNTY -- Authorities now believe that the clerk of courts in Schuylkill County could have misused hundreds of thousands of dollars, some for his own personal use.
On Wednesday, investigators gathered evidence from his office in Pottsville to build their case. FBI and state police carried boxes filled with documents out of the Clerk of Courts office in Schuylkill County.
It's evidence the district attorney hopes will provide more information about the allegations against Clerk of Courts Stephen Lukach. He's worked for the county for 26 years.
"There has been swirling suspicion of theft of services. So, there would be potential charges filed for theft of services," said Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman.
In a recent audit, the county controller says he discovered Lukach was presenting duplicate checks to the county. The district attorney says there are purchases dating back to 2008 that are unaccounted for.
The D.A. did not say exactly how much money might be involved, but did point out Lukach had access to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“I don't even want to comment on the scope of the amount. I do know the bail account contains hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are talking large sums of money," said Holman.
The assistant district attorney says the FBI is dealing with the case because, if state funds were used improperly, Lukach could be facing federal charges.
Lukach wasn't home when Newswatch 16 stopped by his house Wednesday. Neighbors didn't want to go on camera but they did tell us that he is a good neighbor and they are not accusing him of anything until charges are filed.
Lukach had plenty to say when we caught up with him at a county event back in 2011.
"It's a new challenge every day and I enjoy coming to work and, like I said before, I will continue to work hard for the people of Schuylkill County and I never get tired of the job,” said Stephen Lukach in 2011.
Lukach announced earlier this week that he plans to resign from his position Thursday, although the district attorney says Lukach has not been to work in a week.
As of now, no charges have been filed against the clerk of courts.