Mapleton CAO Manny Baron has been charged after a lengthy police investigation into an incident that occurred while he was CAO of the Town of Petrolia.
On March 26 Lambton OPP officials announced that Baron, 43, is charged with breach of trust by a public officer.
The charge stems from his involvement in leasing property he owned to Petrolia.
According to published reports, Baron was placed on administrative leave in October after a local Newspaper, The Independent, reported he was charging the town rent, and utilities in lieu of rent, on facilities he owns through a numbered company.
The town appointed investigator John Fleming to look into the deal for the prtoperties, which were used by the town for a youth/seniors centre and storage area.
Baron resigned on Nov. 14 after Fleming's report was presented to Petrolia town council.
Despite his controversial exit, Baron was hired as CAO of Mapleton Township in January.
At the time, Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll told the Advertiser the township had investigated the allegations against Baron and spoke to Petrolia Mayor John McCharles.
"We got that side of the story, we believed what Manny told us … and we're quite confident he'll do a great job in Mapleton," Driscoll said.
Upon his hiring, Baron conceded his ownership of the Petrolia properties constituted a conflict, but he said he was trying to contribute to the community, not profit from the transaction.
"There's no doubt … I was in direct conflict of interest in the sense that council was unaware that I owned the … buildings," said Baron.
"However, I can assure you that the town was not out money. They didn't pay me rent on a monthly basis. They paid their portion of the utilities."
Baron is to appear in Sarnia court on April 16.
