Austin Energy worker Jody Wood claimed to be checking transmission lines. Instead, city auditors say, he was hunting on city property near Walter E. Long Lake.

The city auditor's office launched a misuse of city resources investigation in April. In a report released Monday afternoon, auditors said two other city employees saw Wood near a deer blind and feeder close to the lake in March, during time he was being paid for working. An hour and a half later, the employees found the blind and feeder had been moved and fresh deer corn had been scattered.

Wood’s supervisor told auditors he had no work-related reason to be near the lake. In April, Austin Energy towed his city car from his house after he drove it there without permission. In the car, city staffers found deer antlers, deer-feeder batteries covered in dirt and the box for a trail camera to track wildlife.

The audit is the latest in a string of investigations into the misuse of the city resources. Investigative auditors conducted nine inquiries into misuse or waste of city resources in 2017 and 2018, three of them involving Austin Energy employees.

RELATED: Austin Energy designer worked for firms whose plans he approved, audit says

Wood, an occupational health and safety specialist, denied the allegations. He has not been charged with a crime. However, in their report, auditors noted Wood might have violated city policies that bar using city vehicles, equipment, resources and employee time for personal use.

In an emailed response to an auditor, Wood said he’d merely picked up a set of antlers and a couple of batteries that he wanted to exchange.

“Having those few items doesn’t mean that I was hunting,” he wrote. “I have never hunted nor have I ever set up any equipment for hunting on city property. These accusations are absurd.”

Auditors also accused Wood of using his city car to drive back and forth to his home and other places outside of Austin at least 24 times in a six-month period, running up more than $50 in tolls for the city. The vehicle doesn’t have GPS tracking, so auditors know about only misuse of the car on toll roads.

Auditors also suspected Wood had clocked more time than he worked in April, but they couldn't prove it conclusively. On one day, they found evidence suggesting he only worked for about five of the 12 hours he had clocked. On another, they found he’d spent only 20 minutes on his computer, and they couldn’t say for sure what accounted for the rest of his time. A city tablet that would have shown what he was doing was broken when Wood gave it to auditors.

ALSO READ: Union objections slow city’s efforts at second-jobs disclosure policy

Wood said in his email response that his supervisor incorrectly told auditors he had no reason to be near the lake or driving up and down the Texas 130 and Texas 45 toll roads. He said he had to “keep in contact with the fire department” during controlled burns at the lake and said the highways could be used to access many places.

“Our interim manager isn’t aware of all the little things we do from day to day,” Wood said.

Auditors said they stood by their findings. Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent said in a memo that the utility’s human resources team would work with management to review the report and decide what to do next.