A Grimes County grand jury has indicted the county’s road and bridge administrator on four charges that include misappropriation of fiduciary property and theft by a public servant.

Grimes County District Attorney Tuck McLain said about two weeks ago his department began looking into reports that 48-year-old Scott McKinney failed to deposit cash that belonged to the county.

As a result of the investigation, McLain said, it appears that McKinney sold some of the county’s scrap metal and kept the cash.

McKinney was charged with misappropriation of fiduciary property between $500 and $1,500 and theft by the same amount for an incident in December, according to the indictment.

For a second incident that reportedly happened in March, he received the same charges for an amount between $1,500 and $20,000, officials said.

If convicted, he faces a Class A misdemeanor, two state jail felonies punishable by up to two years in prison, and a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10-years in jail and a$10,000 fine.

McKinney’s employment status was not clear late Monday, although employees in his department said he was not in the office.

McLain said the issue was brought to his attention by a Texas Ranger who was contacted by the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office.

In late March, the road and bridge department reported to the Sheriff’s Office that a burglary had taken place, McLain said.

As deputies investigated, McLain said, they became suspicious that the burglary report was made to cover up a theft by an employee and, at that point, a Texas Ranger and the District Attorney’s office were notified.

McLain said McKinney is expected to turn himself in within the next few days, at which point he will be released after posting $10,000 bail.