Putnam County police chief indicted on theft, forgery charges
PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The police chief in Monterey has been indicted for misappropriating funds after reportedly skipping out on a training conference.
According to the Tennessee Comptroller's Office, Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph misappropriated at least $2,387.95 and "improperly received 36 hours of training credit in 2022."
The Comptroller's Office said Randolph enrolled in the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Officer's Association (TLETOA) 2022 Fall Conference in Gatlinburg from Nov. 14-18. Instead of attending the conference, however, Randolph allegedly took his wife to restaurants and shopping during the conference hours.
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In addition to his $400 conference registration fee, the town of Monterey paid for Randolph's $25 TLETOA membership fee, $1,200 in wages, $432.96 in overnight accommodations, $54.99 in fuel reimbursement, and $275 per diem for his conference attendance, according to officials
During the conference, another Monterey police officer reportedly shared QR codes with Randolph that allowed him to improperly log his attendance in training classes. He then submitted documentation for 36 credit hours to the department's General Department Instructor, who was responsible for maintaining the training histories of all Monterey officers.
Comptroller investigators sent their findings to the District Attorney General's Conference, who is serving pro tem in the matter.
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Randolph was served an indictment by the Putnam County Grand Jury on one count of theft of property over $1,000, three counts of official misconduct, one count of forgery over $1,000, one count of false entries in governmental records, and one count of violation of the Tennessee Personal and Commercial Computer Act of 2003.
"This investigation raises several ethical concerns," said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. "By engaging his subordinates in his actions, the chief abused his position, and he has potentially damaged the public trust in the management of the department."
