PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A hearing has been scheduled for a former fire chief to plead guilty to stealing from his department, and we now know more details about that plea.

Christopher Chapman, 35, of Ransom, served as chief of the Blackberry Volunteer Fire Department and is accused of taking money the department intended to spend on safety equipment. Chapman now plans to enter a guilty plea during a hearing next Tuesday in Lexington.

According to the plea agreement he has already signed, Chapman admitted to directing his department to order nearly $77,000 worth of equipment from Rural Public Safety Equipment, without telling them he owned the company. But instead of using the money to purchase the equipment, he admits to using all of it for personal expenses.

After he pleads guilty, Chapman will face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He has also agreed to repay all of the money, with $11,000 being repaid to the Kentucky Fire Commission and the remainder to the Pike County Fiscal Court.