AKRON, Ohio -- A former Akron Fire Department union treasurer pleaded guilty to stealing almost a half a million dollars from the union's fund, officials said.

Joseph Ruhlin, 41, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of theft in office and tampering with records, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.

Ruhlin was the treasurer for Akron Fire Department's Union Local 330 from January 2011 to March 2017, the release says.

He stole about $500,000 from the union's fund then escaped to North Carolina where he was eventually caught, the release says.

A restitution hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. March 13. He is scheduled to be sentenced immediately after the hearing.

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