The wife of the French Settlement fire chief was arrested Monday and accused of embezzling $225,000 after her husband reported her confession to him, according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office.
Melissa Guitreau, 46, who acted as the secretary and treasurer of Livingston Parish Fire Protection District No. 8, was booked on felony counts of theft, forgery and malfeasance in office, according to online booking records.
"As you can imagine, my world was turned upside down today," Chief Alan Guitreau said, noting he alerted the Sheriff's Office on Monday as soon as his wife confessed to him she had taken the money.
Sheriff Jason Ard said it appears the money had been embezzled from the fire district's account since February 2017.
"It’s believed that money was then placed into a personal family business account to help keep that business afloat," Ard said in a news release.