A former county commissioner and his wife were arrested Monday on a grand jury indictment for allegedly stealing an estimated $230,000 in fuel from an Opp distributing company.

Myron Kent Colquett, 56, and his 53-year-old wife, Cynthia, are charged with first-degree theft of property.

District Attorney Greg Gambril, who will prosecute the case, said the incident occurred “just shy of three years ago” when Colquett was serving as a county commissioner. Conflicts arose concerning the investigation in the case, prompting law enforcement to turn it over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Gambril said.

“The case was presented last week to a grand jury, alleging that Kent and Cindy Colquett, while running their Colquett Oil Company business, stole by deception approximately 80,000 gallons of gas — having an estimated worth around $230,000 — from Opp councilman Mickey Crew’s business, Crew Distributing,” he said.

When questioned why the case was not handled as a civil matter, Gambril said, “Without going into too much detail, there were distinct behavior by the Colquetts that arose prior to the closing of their business that led the grand jury to return the charges they did.”

Gambril did not elaborate on the “distinct behavior,” and said, “Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. At this point there is just an indictment, which the grand jury has charged me with prosecuting.”

Colquett served as the District 1 commissioner for 12 years before losing in the 2008 primary election to David Ellis. He previously served as an Opp councilman for 12 years, before running for the commission seat.

The two were booked into the Covington County Jail late Monday afternoon and released on a $30,000 bond.

Gambril said there is also currently a civil suit pending against the Colquetts.

It is not yet known when either case will be set for trial.