Former Highway Patrol Commander Appointed Director of BWC's SIU

A former commander with the Ohio Highway Patrol has stepped in as director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation's Special Investigations Department, the bureau announced Tuesday. James Wernecke, who worked 25 years for the state Highway Patrol, took over leadership of the 123-employee department on Monday, the BWC said. The department pursues cases of claimant, medical provider and employer fraud by identifying savings, disallowing claims and referring criminal matters for prosecution, the bureau said. A Tuscarawas County native, Wernecke began his career as a trooper in Massi...