A Prince George’s County grand jury on Thursday indicted Forest Heights’ mayor on seven counts.
According to the Office of the State Prosecutor, 40-year-old Myles Spires Jr., of Mohican Drive, is charged with theft, embezzlement, misconduct in office, submitting a counterfeit invoice, forgery, and uttering and attempt to commit theft. Forest Heights is next to Oxon Hill, less than a mile from the Southwest Washington line.
“He will be treated just like anybody else that has been indicated,” Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Steven Trostle told The Examiner. “We have a tentative arraignment date of March 9, and then the court will schedule motion dates or trial dates.”
The state prosecutor’s office said the first three counts allege Spires “stole and embezzled” money from the town by obtaining false reimbursement checks while acting as mayor.
The other four counts allege Spires “counterfeited, forged and produced to his attorneys a false document” relating to trying to get the town to pay $21,000 for his personal legal expenses.
“We wouldn’t have contacted the state prosecutor if we didn’t believe there was a lot of misconduct and embezzlement going on,” acting Mayor Larry Stoner said.
Stoner said he was Town Council president when he and another council member contacted the state prosecutor about Spires. Stoner said Spires was suspended as mayor in September and that he has been filling in since then.
“It’s up to a jury to convict him,” Stoner said. “We hope that justice is served.”
The acting mayor said he is pleased Spires was indicted. “With all the allegations against him and most of the townspeople did not want him as mayor, you’d think he would have resigned a long time ago,” Stoner said.
The state prosecutor’s office said Spires had been mayor since Jan. 24, 2006, and the indictments stem from incidents between July 14, 2006 and Feb. 7, 2007.
A call to Spires’ cell phone went directly to voice mail, and he was not available, according to someone who answered the phone at his house Thursday afternoon.
