Photo by Shelley Hanson Former Marshall County Assessor Eric Buzzard reacts to hearing statements of support from his family during his sentencing hearing Wednesday in Marshall County Circuit Court.

MOUNDSVILLE — Eric Buzzard wept as his sister read statements of support from his family, including his wife and children, during his sentencing hearing on Wednesday.

Buzzard, former assessor for Marshall County, also made a statement to the court, apologizing and admitting that he should not have stolen from the county’s coffers.

His greed got the best of him, he noted. He asked Marshall County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Cramer for leniency. He hoped not to have to serve time behind bars because his family needs him, he said.

“I’m a very involved father. … Give me a second chance. Let me redeem myself,” Buzzard said.

In the end, Cramer sentenced Buzzard, who is 42 years old, to two consecutive prison sentences totalling two to 15 years for his crimes of felony embezzlement and conspiracy to commit fraudulent schemes.

That greed is what concerned Cramer, who said in most embezzlement cases he has presided over the person usually has an explanation – a drug addiction, a gambling addiction.

But in Buzzard’s case there was no excuse. He just decided to steal the money for his own personal use. And he entered into a car-buying scheme to steal even more.

And when Buzzard had the chance to stop breaking the law while out on bail, he “snuck into the courthouse” and tampered with evidence, Cramer said.

Several statements of support were read in court Wednesday.

“He’s always been there for me. … I love my dad so much and miss him,” Buzzard’s daughter wrote.

His wife wrote, “He’s truly a kind person who got caught up in greed. He cries and apologizes to me and my children on his phone calls to us. He’s been in jail for three months and has had time to think about his actions.”

His sister pleaded, “His wife and children are innocent in this situation. … They need their father’s guidance now more than ever.”

But those statements were not enough for Buzzard to escape serving prison time.

As part of his plea agreement, a third count, conspiracy to commit grand larceny with a prison term of one to five years, was suspended and replaced with an order of seven years of probation to be served after the prison term.

Cramer also ordered that Buzzard pay $24,752 in restitution to Marshall County and $9,380 in restitution to the state auditor’s office. He also must pay fines totalling $7,500 along with court costs and fees.

Buzzard was arrested in June 2025 for partnering with a local car dealer to purchase cars for the Marshall County Commission, resulting in him receiving kickbacks from padded prices. He also used 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.

Before the sentence was handed down, Cramer pointed out that the elected position of assessor that Buzzard held is one of the most trusted offices in the county. Taxpayers, he said, hand over money from their own bank accounts to help fund the county’s offices, budgets, schools and more.

“You abused that trust,” Cramer said. “What concerns me the most is that, if you hadn’t been arrested, this could probably still be going on today.”

Marshall County Commission President Scott Varner read a victim impact statement on behalf of the county commission and residents of the county.

“When elected, Mr. Buzzard was entrusted with decision-making authority on behalf of every resident of the county,” he said. “His elected position carried a fundamental obligation to work with integrity, accountability, responsible stewardship of taxpayers’ funds – all of which he failed. Mr. Buzzard used his office for theft and deception for personal gain. His actions affected every taxpayer in Marshall County.”

Varner said Buzzard’s actions not only eroded trust in his office, but all offices in the county. He also said it could impact economic development.

“The damage done … may take some years to recover,” he noted.

Varner said Buzzard’s conduct while in office negatively impacted his staff and other county employees.

“Mr. Buzzard created a hostile, threatening and demeaning work environment in his office. Many employees believe this was done to prevent them from questioning his action for fear of being fired,” Varner said. “He not only created an intimidating work environment in the assessor’s office, but his actions caused the majority of the employees in the courthouse to be uneasy and on edge.”

Buzzard, he said, caused “significant emotional stress among employees including anxiety, fear of blame, loss of trust and decreased morale.” His deception to commit his crimes, Varner said, also resulted in animosity between offices and employees that was not there before.

The case was prosecuted by Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak and Assistant Prosecutor Jerry Sklavounakis, who were assigned as special prosecutors.

Buzzard’s attorneys are Bill Ihlenfeld and Max Nogay.