WHEELING — West Virginia State Auditor John McCuskey is investigating alleged fraud by a city of Wheeling employee, who City Manager Robert Herron said has resigned.

During the city manager’s report portion of the regular Tuesday city council meeting, Herron announced that Tess Haymaker, who was seated in the audience, is Wheeling’s acting human resources director.

Later, after the regular portion of the meeting concluded, city council elected to enter a closed-door session to discuss a personnel matter. After meeting behind closed doors for approximately 40 minutes with Herron and City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth, council re-entered regular session.

At this time, Mayor Glenn Elliott read aloud a statement he and all fellow city council members signed. It reads as follows:

“On Thursday, March 29, 2018, Mayor Glenn Elliott and City Manager Robert Herron each received a telephone call from West Virginia State Auditor John B. McCuskey indicating that investigators from his office had identified potential fraudulent activity by a city of Wheeling employee. As of this time, an investigation into this matter is ongoing, and the employee in question is no longer with the city.

“As a city council, to a person, we are deeply troubled by the alleged conduct in question and will not be satisfied until our many questions are answered. But for now, we will have nothing further to say about this matter until such time as the auditor’s office concludes its investigation. In the meantime, we would direct all inquiries to Cathy Price, deputy state auditor for Public Affairs.”

After reading the statement, Elliott and fellow council members adjourned the meeting.

When asked after the meeting if Teresa Hudrlik — who as recently as Thursday served as the city’s human resources director — was the employee under investigation for fraud, Herron would neither confirm, nor deny, this.

“The employee in question has resigned,” Herron said.

When asked directly, “Why do you have an acting HR director,” Herron did not answer. Hudrlik could not be reached for comment.

Haymaker said she had been working in the city’s Finance Department before taking her new position.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a person close to the situation said it seems the former employee under investigation may have used credit cards to make unauthorized purchases of a total amount that remains uncertain.

City officials referred all other questions to McCuskey’s office. Marty Wright serves as the auditor’s general counsel and director of its fraud unit.

“We do not comment as to the nature or the status of investigations by the auditor’s office,” he said.

Wright did say that if the investigation ultimately results in criminal charges against the former employee, the alleged crimes would likely be handled by Ohio County Prosecutor Scott Smith.