LISBON –A former food service inspector for the East Liverpool City Health District is facing 23 counts of tampering with records for allegedly falsifying food inspection reports over a nearly one-year period.

Alan Masters, 64, West Eighth Street, Salem, was served Monday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury last week for the third-degree felony charge, with all 23 counts allegedly occurring from May 31, 2024 through April 25, 2025.

Masters previously worked as the environmental director for the Salem City Health District for several years, resigning Aug. 4, 2025. He was doing some work for the East Liverpool City Health District while still working for the Salem City Health District.

Columbiana County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart said that Masters allegedly turned in reports for inspections he never did and at least five were allegedly done before he worked for East Liverpool. Weikart said he was falsifying the food inspection reports. He also confirmed that Masters was no longer working there.

Apparently, he had been suspended at the Salem City Health District prior to resigning. In his letter of resignation, he reportedly wrote that his resignation did not constitute an admission of any wrongdoing. The Salem City Health District Board voted in July 2025 to institute an investigation into an employee’s activity, but did not name the employee.

The indictment said Masters “did, knowing he had no privilege to do so, and with purpose to defraud or knowing he was facilitating a fraud on East Liverpool City Health District falsify, destroy, remove, conceal, alter, deface, or mutilate any writing, computer software, date or record, to wit: Ohio Department of Health Food Inspection Reports and the writing, data, computer software, or record was kept by or belonged to a local, state or federal government entity.”

Masters is being represented by defense attorney Bruce Williams, according to county Common Pleas Court records. Masters is free on a recognizance bond and is scheduled to face arraignment at 1 p.m. April 30. The case was assigned to Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton.

Also served with secret indictments were:

— Alyda Marie Chapman, 31, Southeast Boulevard, Salem, illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits or WIC program benefits, a third-degree felony, for allegedly misusing the benefits from Oct. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.

— Virginia Lee Mills, 58, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, aggravated possession of drugs,a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on April 10, 2025.