The principal of Poca High School was arrested Thursday after an investigation found he used a debit card linked to the school basketball teams' boosters for personal purchases on at least two occasions.
Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department charged Principal Bradley Knell with two counts of computer fraud Thursday.
He was released on a $5,000 bond later that day.
Officer Michael Woodford, a student resource officer at Poca High School, was advised earlier this week that Knell was suspected of making personal purchases on a debit card that's linked to a private account for the basketball team boosters.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Putnam County Magistrate Court, Woodford obtained bank account transaction history for the debit card and contacted two of the businesses where recent transactions were made.
On Tuesday, Woodford received video surveillance from Sept. 5 showing Knell pull into the Rock Branch Sheetz and pump gas into his personal truck.
The account history showed Knell bought $77 of gas with the debit card, the complaint says.
On another occasion, on Sept. 1, video surveillance shows Knell making a $8.67 purchase at the Go-Mart directly across from Poca High School, using the same debit card designated for the basketball team boosters.
The complaint says Woodford was able to identify Knell from the surveillance on both occasions.
On Wednesday, Woodford spoke to Becky Frampton, the owner of the account.
Frampton gave verbal and written statements to officers that she "never gave Brad Knell access in any way, to include PIN, or otherwise to this account," according to the complaint.
Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese said Thursday that the computer fraud charges against Knell are "the same thing as fraudulent use of a credit [or debit] card."
"He went in and took the card without anyone's knowledge," Deweese said.
Knell previously was an assistant principal at Hurricane and Buffalo high schools.
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