Photo by Shelley Hanson Former Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard signs documents related to his plea deal Wednesday in Marshall County Circuit Court.

MOUNDSVILLE — Former Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard pleaded guilty to three counts related to embezzlement and conspiracy and resigned from his position during a hearing Wednesday before Marshall County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Cramer.

Buzzard, 42, of Moundsville pleaded guilty to the following counts: felony embezzlement, conspiracy to commit fraudulent schemes and conspiracy to commit grand larceny.

As part of his guilty plea, Buzzard also agreed to resign from his assessor position immediately and to never seek an elected office in West Virginia again.

“Should he seek office as an elected official in the state of West Virginia in the future, that constitutes a breach of his plea agreement, which would allow the state of West Virginia to void the plea agreement and prosecute him to the fullest extent possible,” said Shawn Turak, the Ohio County Prosecutor who served as special prosecutor in the case.

A sentencing hearing before Cramer will be held at a later date after a pre-sentence investigation is conducted by the probation office.

Buzzard was arrested last June for allegedly partnering with a local car dealer to purchase cars for the Marshall County Commission, resulting in him receiving more than $30,000 in kickbacks from padded prices.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the West Virginia State Police with the Marshall County Magistrate’s Office, since the time Buzzard took office in January 2021, he and the car dealer collectively split a profit of $63,157 following the county’s purchase of automobiles, resulting in a $31,578 kickback for each.

On Wednesday, Buzzard also admitted to using a purchasing card belonging to the county office for personal shopping and unauthorized expenses. He also used the card to get cash back from the bank.

The state was represented by special prosecutors Turak and Jerry Sklavounakis.

Turak said the state was recommending that Buzzard be sentenced 1-10 years on the embezzlement charge; 1-5 years for conspiracy to commit fraudulent schemes; and 1-5 years for conspiracy to commit grand larceny.

Turak said the state also recommends that the court order the sentences for counts 1 and 2 run consecutively, resulting in an effective sentence of not less than 2 years nor more than 15 years in prison.

The state also recommends that once Buzzard has served the 2-15 year sentence, the third count’s sentence be suspended and he instead serve five years of supervised probation.

Turak said the state also asks that Buzzard pay $67,466 in restitution to the Marshall County Commission and $9,380 to the state auditor’s office.

“Mr. Buzzard has agreed to cooperate with the state of West Virginia with regard to the exoneration of any tax bills issued during his tenure as the elected assessor in Marshall County that are under investigation,” she said. “The defendant will also cooperate with the state of West Virginia with regard to identifying those individuals who may have been involved in placing United States currency recovered in the Marshall County Courthouse by authorities on Oct. 24, 2025.”

Buzzard remained in Northern Regional Jail as of Wednesday evening, where he had been since he turned himself in on Oct. 27 after his bond was revoked the Friday before that for allegedly contacting state witnesses in the case. He had spent the prior weekend in Licking County, Ohio, Jail.

Buzzard’s attorneys are Bill Ihlenfeld and Max Nogay.