It took nearly two weeks, but the former Underground Utilities supervisor for the city of Emporia has been formally charged with theft from the city.
Kevin Wayne Wiggins was charged Wednesday with one count of theft of property or services, allegedly ranging from late July 2023 to this past February. That count accuses Wiggins of taking less than $1,500 “in two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting parts of a common scheme or course of conduct.”
There is an alternate count of theft involving less than $1,500 of scrap metal for July 31, 2023.
Wiggins was initially arrested April 26 after what Emporia Police Capt. Lisa Hayes called suspicious activity on city property earlier in the month, although he was released from jail shortly thereafter due to legal rules on 72-hour jail holds. Hayes also says the investigation led to other parts of Kansas and as far away as Iowa.
Wiggins, who had been the Underground Utilities supervisor since June 2020, was fired.
Wiggins will start the court process with a first appearance in Lyon County District Court on June 5.
