Fmr. Evansville Fire Chief Paul Anslinger will go to trial in 2025

EVANSVILLE – Former Evansville Fire Chief Paul Anslinger rejected a plea deal Wednesday in his ongoing theft and embezzlement case, choosing instead to put his faith in a jury of his colleagues.

Anslinger, who had once been pitched as a potential successor to longtime Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly, pleaded not guilty after Evansville police arrested him in August on three counts of theft and one count of official misconduct, these are all level 6 felonies.

Anslinger is scheduled to take his case to trial on May 5, according to court records. He is represented by attorneys Bob Zoss and Jacob Winsett. A phone call and voice message to Zoss’ law office went unanswered Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause affidavit filed in the case alleges Anslinger took more than $4,451 from the Evansville Fire Department Foundation — a charitable trust he managed — and deposited the money into the account of one of his investment companies.

Investigators then allege that Anslinger transferred $4,000 of the money to a personal bank account with his name.

The affidavit also accuses Anslinger of having a department-issued handgun belonging to a retired arson investigator in his possession without telling anyone. He reportedly only returned the gun when it turned up missing — a discovery EFD personnel made well after Anslinger’s own retirement, investigators said.

Wednesday’s proceedings were to discuss whether Anslinger would plead guilty in exchange for prosecutors dismissing some of the charges he faced, or whether he would go to trial. Details of a proposed settlement were not immediately available.

Anslinger then took on the role of assistant chief Connelly abruptly resigned last year because of the accusations he had secretly videotaping a subordinate. According to interviews from the time, former Mayor Lloyd Winnecke gave Connelly an ultimatum: he could resign quietly or be fired. Connelly chose the first option.

Anslinger, who played a role in mediating the sensitive incident that led to Connelly’s departure, was tasked with righting the ship at EFD based on interviews with fire department personnel. Anslinger had hoped to be in the running for president when Democratic Mayor Stephanie Terry took office in January.

Terry eventually brought in Tony Knight to serve as Evansville’s fire chief.

In April it was Anslinger who announced his own retirement after receiving a “notice of discipline.” from the city. Shortly thereafter, the Evansville Police Department announced it had opened a criminal investigation into cases involving Anslinger.

In August, things came to a head when Evansville police arrested Anslinger, who spent less than an hour in the Vanderburgh County Jail after posting the $10,000 bond needed to secure his release.

A preliminary hearing in Anslinger’s case will take place in Vanderburgh County Circuit Court on April 16 at 10 a.m., according to court records.

You can contact Houston Harwood at [email protected].