ERIC BUZZARD

MOUNDSVILLE – Hours after a Licking County, Ohio, judge released him on a personal recognizance bond, Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard turned himself in to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and is now being housed in the Northern Regional Jail.

The West Virginia Regional Jail database now has Buzzard in the system as a pretrial felon. He is sitting in Northern Regional after his bond was revoked Friday for allegedly contacting state witnesses in his criminal case.

When the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police sought him Friday, they learned he was in Ohio. The Newark, Ohio, Police Department arrested Buzzard and he spent the weekend in Licking County Jail.

Buzzard faces seven counts of fraudulent schemes, allegedly partnering with a local used car dealer to buy cars for the county at inflated prices and pocketing the difference. He also has been accused of misuse of county purchase cards and the county assessor evaluation fund.

When the Marshall County Commission in September approved a petition to start the process of removing Buzzard from office, it was claimed that Buzzard derived around $118,000 in personal benefits from his alleged schemes.