A former employee of the Perry County Assessor’s office is charged with felony theft after he was caught stealing gas.

64-year-old Paul “Butch” Stern is accused of paying for approximately 420 gallons of gasoline this month with money from the county.

Photos of the alleged theft were published in the Pinckneyville Press earlier this week. The publisher says the paper received numerous complaints about the County Assessor’s office and followed up on one tip they received, leading to the pictures of Stern.

Stern was charged Thursday and he handed in a letter of resignation to the Perry County Board of Commissioners. They plan to act on the resignation August 7.