BOARDMAN — The investigation into a Boardman Township mechanic’s alleged misuse of funds and resources continues after his resignation.

Boardman police Chief Todd Werth said Michael D. Carkido, 51, of Poland, has resigned in the wake of a search warrant executed at his Bishop Woods Court home in late March, while the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office reviews both Boardman’s internal investigation and a criminal investigation completed by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

Carkido was hired in April 2002 as the vehicle and fleet service mechanic for the police department.

An affidavit submitted by an MCSO investigator to obtain the search warrant states Carkido could be charged with theft ranging from misdemeanor to felony level, depending upon the amount; and theft in office, a felony

ranging from fifth- to first-degree, depending upon the severity of the crime.

Court records show that no formal charges have yet been filed against Carkido for anything.

“Once we became aware that there was an issue, we immediately placed him on paid administrative leave, we took away all access to township buildings and resources, and started our investigation right away, and we asked the Sheriff’s Office to investigate possible violations of Ohio law,” Werth said. “When you have an internal and a criminal investigation, you can’t cross information, so if we’re trying to do both it becomes more difficult.”

The affidavit submitted to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony D’Apolito states that Carkido was placed on leave March 10 after Township Road Superintendent Kim Blasco began an internal investigation. Carkido resigned April 18, citing personal and health reasons, according to his resignation letter.

The affidavit states that township officials’ suspicions were raised on March 5, when two Eagle Sport tires on Cadillac rims were found in the township’s maintenance garage and an invoice from Goodyear in Boardman showed they were purchased Feb. 25. Those tires are not suitable for any of the vehicles in the township’s fleet.

The affidavit states that Blasco’s financial audit of the period from January to March 2025 showed that multiple purchases were made for items that would not be suitable for any of the township’s vehicles.

The document states that Werth requested Sheriff Jerry Greene’s assistance with the investigation on March 12. A week later, MCSO investigator James Ciotti obtained from Blasco

a list of all tires the township purchased in 2024 and all the vehicles those tires would fit; copies of orders from Amazon.com; a copy of the township’s vendor / payee register; a statement for the township credit card through First National Bank for Jan. 24 through March 2; and a list of AutoZone purchases for the same period.

The Amazon orders include two HP laptops, a mini HP desktop computer, a webcam and a Texas Instruments graphing calculator. There were also several Amazon purchases of vehicle parts that would not fit township vehicles, nor would many of the parts purchased at AutoZone.

The investigation did show that at least some of those parts would fit a 2013 Ford F250 Super-Duty Lariat pickup like the one owned by Carkido’s son, who is a student at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

The affidavit states that on March 24, an MCSO sergeant found the vehicle in the MCCTC parking lot and noted that it had side mirror lights that were similar to the after-market models purchased on Amazon and delivered to the township addressed to Carkido.

The affidavit states that the Amazon orders also included items like bedroom and bathroom shelving units, phone cases and charging stations, and other miscellaneous items.

The affidavit states that the AutoZone purchases included oil filters, brake pads and brake rotors for Subaru, Audi and Kia models, none of which the township owns.

The investigation revealed that Carkido runs a side business repairing vehicles, including changing oil, brakes and tires. The investigation revealed that Carkido had been seen using a tire mounting machine in the township garage for wheels that did not belong to any township vehicles.

On March 26, at Ciotti’s request, D’Apolito approved search warrants for Carkido’s home and the vehicles on the premises, including Carkido’s and his son’s pickup trucks.

The warrants were executed on March 27. The affidavit shows that Ciotti suspected the search could yield roughly three dozen items or more that Carkido is suspected of having bought on the township’s dime. However, the inventory of the search, completed on March 28, revealed only eight of those items were found on the premises.

Those items included one of the laptops, a welding helmet, a manual fluid evacuator, a Milwaukee brand leaf blower, an air jack, a dual steering stabilizer and a 20-pack of 4-foot LED light tubes with 12 remaining.

The affidavit states that none of the outstanding items, besides the Eagle Sport tires, were found in a search of any of the Boardman Township buildings to which Carkido would have had access.