Charles County Sheriff’s investigators assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division have charged Eric Bernard Riley, 51, of Hughesville in connection with the theft of more than $10,000 worth of cleaning products and supplies while he was serving as the Custodial Superintendent of Charles County facilities. In June 2015, Charles County Government officials notified the CCSO about a possible theft scheme involving Mr. Riley. An immediate investigation was launched and detectives subsequently determined Riley had been stealing cleaning products. Investigators established Riley altered purchase orders by slightly increasing the number of items needed at each facility or by switching out the types of products listed on the purchase order for items he could sell at discounted prices from his home. During the investigation, detectives set up surveillance and perused thousands of documents. On Aug. 5, 2015 a search warrant was conducted at Riley’s house in the 14000 block of Shelwick Place in Hughesville. Cases of cleaning supplies, toilet paper, dish soap, and laundry detergent were recovered. On January 13, a criminal summons was issued charging Riley with theft over $10,000. No other county employees were involved in the thefts. Det. E. Clark investigated.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 and has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.      

Media Contact
Diane Richardson
301-609-6557
richardsond@ccso.us