A Delta Junction volunteer firefighter was indicted earlier this month after it was discovered he had been stealing from his fire department for years.
A Fairbanks Grand Jury On Dec. 19, indicted 62-year-old Michael Paschall on two counts of Theft in the First Degree and one count each of Scheme to Defraud, Felony Misapplication of Property, Falsifying Business Records, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
The indictment stems from allegations that while in the role of Chief/Secretary of the Rural Deltana Volunteer Fire Department, Michael Paschall stole more than $400,000 over several years from the Fire Department’s bank account. The indictment alleges that Paschall hid the thefts from the Board of Directors by falsifying business records. In early January 2024, the Board of Directors learned of Paschall’s alleged thefts from the Fire Department. Paschall then left Alaska and took the Fire Department’s laptop with him.
The case was reported to the Alaska State Troopers and thoroughly investigated by the Troopers’ Financial Crimes Unit. The Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions is prosecuting it.
At Grand Jury Returns, the State asked the court to issue an Arrest Warrant for $250,000, with a requirement that Paschall obtain a court-approved third-party custodian. Superior Court Judge Thomas I. Temple issued a Summons, which requires Mr. Paschall to appear or call in for his arraignment in Fairbanks on Jan. 8, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. but does not set a monetary bond amount.