Original Article Apache County sheriff indicted Misuse of public money alleged Mark Shaffer Republic Flagstaff Bureau May. 27, 2005 12:00 AM Apache County's top cop has been indicted by a state grand jury in the suspected theft and misuse of about $8,000 in public money over a five-year period. Sheriff Brian Hounshell, 39, who also is one of 16 members of the state's Homeland Security Council, was indicted late Wednesday on two counts of felony misuse of public monies and one count each of theft and fraudulent schemes and artifices. Andrea Esquer, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office, said a second person also has been charged with two counts of misusing public money. The name of that person is expected to be released today after court papers are served, Esquer said. The probe began seven months ago in the northeastern Arizona county when the state served subpoenas on the Apache County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff's Department for financial and personnel documents. The county also has hired an outside agency to conduct another probe of the sheriff's office after a grievance was filed recently by one of the department's employees. Esquer said she could not elaborate on the indictment, which provided few details other than the crimes occurred between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2004. The indictment accuses Hounshell of "using Apache County funds for personal property or services arising in or from" Apache, Maricopa, Gila, Navajo and Coconino counties. Hounshell has been sheriff for six years.