NORFOLK, Neb. -- The mayor of Norfolk is speaking out about a northeast Nebraska transit service that had to cease operations due to alleged theft within the organization.

The North Fork Area Transit service had to shut down on Jan. 6 due to a lack of funds. Former general manager Jeffrey Stewart is being accused of embezzling over $740,000 for flights, purchases at casinos, meals at area restaurants, home goods and more, all for personal use, according to investigators.

Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning addressed the current situation Friday morning.

With what took place, Moenning said he wishes city officials could have done something to stop it.

“I think we all wish we could go back and prevent [it] from happening but unfortunately we cannot,” Moenning said. “My concern regarding the fallout on this was that a very bad situation would go to worse case scenario and that the hole was dug too deep for operations to continue as they are for North Fork Transit.”

‘Shock’ and ‘anger’: Those were the words used by Moenning when he initially heard the news about the allegations towards Stewart and what followed due to his alleged behavior.

“In the actions [and] consequences that come from it are that people are hurt in the community,” Moenning said. “People that had come to depend on the service in their daily lives are now left in the lurch.”

Stewart, a Texas native, was officially announced as the North Fork Area Transit GM in February of 2022. 

Following the accusations, a search warrant was issued for Stewart’s home back in late December. As of Saturday, authorities are still looking for the former GM of the non-profit.

“This guy was running a pretty complicated scheme of deception,” Moenning said. “It’s a terribly unfortunate situation and I think we can all agree we wish it never happened.”

Regarding the future of the transit service, Moenning is remaining optimistic about it returning.

“I think there’s an opportunity now for the board to restructure itself,” Moenning said. “I know that’s in the works and I think you’ll see announcements are coming soon that new board members are coming on.”

He said there’s already been significant contributions from organizations in the community. Moenning expects even more contributions coming soon.

The Norfolk mayor had a meeting with State Sen. Robert Dover and the Nebraska Department of Transportation leadership on Thursday in Lincoln about the possibility of getting more assistance to help get the system back on its feet.

“There’s a lot of people working hard behind the scenes to make that happen,” Moenning said.

There’s also a GoFundMe to help bring back the transit service. The page has a goal of $300,000 and has currently raised $2,195.

The City of Norfolk does not own, operate, or have oversight over the North Fork Area Transit, which operates as a non-profit organization.