ALBANY COUNTY — Following an investigation into abuse of a county employee’s gas card, the Albany County Sheriff’s Department is continuing a raid on area gas stations.
John Geurtze, a former Rensselaerville supervisor, has been a county property manager since 2003. During a routine audit of county vehicles, Ed Lynch, the county’s commissioner of general services noticed "something was off," said Kerri Battle, spokeswoman for Albany County.

The audit of county funds began in October of 2006, said Battle. Lynch, who oversees the county’s vehicles and gas cards, audited Geurtze’s records back to October of 2005, she said.

Following a drunk-driving arrest in March, Geurtze was placed on unpaid leave pending a disciplinary hearing, said Battle. Now Geurtze also faces charges stemming from the investigation of his use of his county gas card.

Geurtze could not be reached for comment.

While investigating Geurtze’s statements, Lynch noticed more than one charge in a day appeared on Geurtze’s bill statements. Lynch, she said, compared the mileage of Guertze’s vehicle with his gas card statements, which showed Geurtze’s county-issued vehicle was only getting three miles per gallon.

In February of this year, Lynch notified Albany County Executive Michael Breslin, who then contacted the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, Battle said.

Working with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the sheriff’s department is currently involved in a sting of area gas stations, which stemmed from the Geurtze investigation, Albany County Chief Deputy Craig Apple said.

The raid began with Exxon/Mobil stations, which the county uses routinely. The sheriff’s department, he said, then began investigating other stations, including Gettys. The department is continuing a lengthy investigation, Apple said, which is limited to one county employee.

So far, no arrests of station owners have been made, Apple said yesterday. The department, he said, expects to lodge charges against some owners of gas stations.

Geurtze was arrested for driving while intoxicated on March 8 at approximately 4:30 p.m., said Apple.

When arrested on March 8, Geurtze was driving a county-issued vehicle; his blood-alcohol-content was .14-percent, Apple said. There were no other charges, he said.
The vehicle Geurtze was driving was issued to the county’s finance department, Battle said. Gas cards are assigned to each county vehicle, not to specific county employees, she said. The cards say, "For gas and fuel only," she said.
County employees, Battle said, are supposed to retain their credit card receipts. She added, "An electronic copy also comes to the county office."

County vehicles may be shared by several county employees; the vehicle issued to the finance department, Battle said, was used most often by Geurtze.