Finding for Recovery Issued Against Former Supervisor for the City of Ontario Water Department over Unauthorized Military Leave

Press Release •Ohio Auditor of State

COLUMBUS - A finding for recovery of $502.88 was issued Thursday against a former supervisor for the City of Ontario Water Department, who was convicted after he falsified a military leave request to cover days when he was actually serving a jail sentence for a probation violation.

The finding against David Whittaker was included in a special audit that details the investigation by the Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) into the crime.

The full report is available online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.

SIU received a complaint in August 2024 alleging Whittaker had submitted a falsified and fabricated Air National Guard letter requesting to use 56 hours of military leave from his water department job in July and August 2024. An Air National Guard commander in Mansfield confirmed that the letter was fraudulent. The issue was caught by the city before payment was made for the falsified leave.

Whittaker instead was serving a 30-day jail sentence during that time for a probation violation on an earlier arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Whittaker was indicted in Richland County Common Pleas Court in January 2025 and pleaded guilty in May 2025 to felony counts of theft in office, tampering with records, and telecommunications fraud. He was sentenced to 36 months of community control and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

Thursday's finding for recovery was for an additional use of unauthorized leave in July 2023, when Whittaker reported for active-duty training in Florida, only to find out that the training was canceled. Whittaker was paid for 16 hours of unauthorized military leave as a result and received an improper military leave payment of $502.88.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 150 convictions resulting in more than $16 million in restitution (see Map of SIU Convictions since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU's fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

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The Auditor of State's Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.

Public Affairs Contact: Marc Kovac [email protected]