A longtime employee of the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District faces charges that he stole diesel fuel from the county, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Allyn T. Noga, of State Street Road, Throop, was charged Monday after a four-month investigation.

Cayuga County Sheriff Rob Outhouse said workers for the conservation district reported in February suspicions that fuel was being misused, and the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office later brought those concerns to the sheriff's office.

Detectives with the sheriff's office had been investigating since that time and charged Noga Monday with one misdemeanor count of petit larceny.

Outhouse said one of Noga's responsibilities with the conservation district was to fill a truck with fuel that was used to refuel other vehicles in the field. He said that Noga brought some of that fuel to his home to be used for heating.

Outhouse said Noga was suspected of doing this on several occasions but that only one instance of theft had been corroborated.

Noga turned himself in and was issued an appearance ticket to appear in Town of Sennett Court at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14.

Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District executive director Jim Hotaling could not be reached for comment Friday.