NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) — Two New Castle police officers have been charged with official misconduct and ghost employment after evidence indicated they were golfing, gambling and engaging in other personal activities while being paid to work for the Henry County Corrections Center, state police said.
Police Lt. Jim Heffernan, 39, and Patrolman Matthew Patterson, 38, were suspended without pay after their arrests Wednesday.
Henry County Community Corrections Director Doug Sheets, 57, of Centerville was also charged.
All three surrendered at the Henry County jail on Wednesday afternoon and were released after posting $1,000 bonds.
Messages seeking comment were left at Sheets' office and at New Castle telephone listings for individuals with the same names as the officers.
State Police Detective Brian Gulinson said in probable cause affidavits filed in Henry Circuit Court that surveillance, interviews with center employees, GPS data and agency documents supported allegations that the officers, while supposedly working for the center at times between March 2007 and July 2009, actually were "playing golf, going to an exercise gym, gambling, moving furniture, attending sporting events or visiting friends."
Sheets was charged with approving the misleading time cards and knowing his employees were golfing or gambling while claiming to work but paying them anyway.
Special Prosecutor Julie Pottenger of Hamilton County charged Heffernan and Patterson with corrupt business influence, official misconduct and three counts of ghost employment — Class D felonies.
Sheets, executive director of the center since 2001, was charged with corrupt business influence, two counts of official misconduct and two counts of ghost employment.
New Castle Police Chief Jim Nicholson said the allegations against Heffernan and Patterson stemmed from their work at the corrections program and not from their work as police officers.
"As police officers, we are held to higher standards, and we are not above the law," the New Castle Police Department, which helped in the investigation, said in a statement.
Heffernan joined the force 15 years ago, and Patterson joined 12 years ago. Heffernan also served as assistant director of the correction center.
Breaking News
3 Henry County corrections employees arrested
- Breaking News
-
-
Army orders court-martial in WikiLeaks case
An Army officer ordered a court-martial Friday for a low-ranking intelligence analyst charged in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history.
-
Prosecutors won't charge cyclist Lance Armstrong
Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.
-
Police respond to shooting on 10th Street
Police responded late Friday evening to a reported shooting at a residence on West 10th Street.
-
Indiana election chief's voter fraud trial nears end
The political future of Indiana's top election official, and potentially his freedom, rested Friday with jurors, who were deliberating late into the evening in his voter fraud trial.
-
Man fatally shot, two Muncie police officers injured
A witness says he saw two police officers involved in a shootout with a man in a convenient store parking lot, saying it lasted about 30 seconds.
-
Micron CEO dies in plane crash
A small experimental plane piloted by the chief executive and chairman of Micron Technology Inc. crashed after take-off Friday at the Boise airport, killing the head of the Idaho memory chip maker who survived a similar crash eight years ago.
-
Killer of Florida girl found in landfill gets life
Minutes after a man pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping and murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who was dumped in a trash bin and later found in a landfill, the little girl's twin brother addressed his sister's killer.
-
Sources: Taliban leader sent letter to Obama
Reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar wrote to President Barack Obama last year indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan, current and former U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
-
Hackers intercept FBI, Scotland Yard call
Trading jokes and swapping leads, investigators from the FBI and Scotland Yard spent the conference call strategizing about how to bring down the hacking collective known as Anonymous. Unfortunately for the cyber sleuths, the hackers were in on the call too — and now so is the rest of the world.
-
Komen drops plan to cut Planned Parenthood grants
After three days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity says it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood.
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
Army orders court-martial in WikiLeaks case
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
