By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorAn investigation is under way into missing funds from the Warrenton Fire Protection District’s Explorer account.Warrenton Fire Chief Mike Owenby and Police Chief Greg Houdyshell both confirmed that authorities are investigating whether the money was stolen from the explorer’s account.The exact amount of money missing won’t be known until the investigation is complete, officials said. However, Owenby stated the amount is less than $10,000.The money that is missing is not taxpayer funds, Owenby emphasized. Rather, it is money that is received through donations, fund-raisers and grants to the Explorer program.Owenby said the funds were discovered missing about a month ago and the Warrenton Police Department was notified soon after.Houdyshell said detectives are in the middle of their investigation and didn’t have a time frame on when reports would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office to see if criminal charges are warranted.“It takes a lot to put together a decent case on a white collar crime,” Houdyshell told The Record. “This is a white collar crime. We have to dot all our ‘i’s’ and cross all our ‘t’s’ and make sure we put our best case together to put in front of the prosecutor.”The Explorer’s program was created in 2010 to teach area youth between the ages of 14 and 18 about the basics of fire fighting. Participants receive hands-on training and eventually are allowed to respond on emergency calls with firefighters.Currently, 11 teens participate in the program, according to Owenby.He said the missing money will affect the program as it moves forward. He said the program has received a couple of recent donations, but described that “there is very little” money in the account.“It’s extremely unfortunate it happened,” Owenby said. “It’s aggravating.”The investigation is focused on a volunteer firefighter who served as treasurer of the Explorer program, officials disclosed.Owenby said the firefighter has been suspended from the fire district pending the outcome of the investigation.Officials said the person under investigation is employed as a full-time paramedic with the Warren County Ambulance District and she was suspended once officials there learned of the investigation.Warren County Ambulance District Administrator Ralph Hellebusch said Tuesday that the person in question has tendered her resignation, which the district’s board of directors will act on at their next meeting on May 13.Steve Reese, fire board president, said members will require a more thorough review of finances from the Explorer’s program and ladies auxiliary in the future.“We really didn’t expect to see a budget every month,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, we will see a balance sheet and canceled checks at every board meeting.”Money found missing from Explorer account