Two Former Vandalia Cops Charged With Forgery

Two former Vandalia police officers face felony forgery charges after an internal investigation revealed irregularities of evidence handling and time card fraud.

William E. Jones, 44, and William E. Parker, 38, both of Vandalia, were previously employed by the city police department. They are both currently employed by Northeast Correctional Center. The charges were filed last week. Both men face five counts of felony forgery.

Capt. Donald Elkins handled the internal investigation. According to his probable cause statement, a “significant pattern” of fraudulent claims for pay were made by both men. He alleges there were numerous claims made from one minute for 45 minutes which were not part of the charges. The list of fraudulent claims are ones in excess of 45 minutes. The men would sign erroneous time sheets and receive compensation.

Elkins reported that time sheets were checked against radio logs to determine the falsified hours.

The first count against Jones in May of 2016, it is alleges he signed off on compensation for 26 hours, though records indicate he worked only 12.5 hours. The second count from June 2016 has a total claim of 32 hours, though only 16 hours are documented. The third count from August 2016 has Jones claiming 40 hours while records indicate he only worked 30 minutes. The fourth count in September of 2016 indicates he filed for 32 hours of pay though records show he only worked 14 hours. The fifth claim from October 2016 alleges Jones signed for 26 hours but only recorded 16.5 hours.

The first count against Parker in March of 2016 alleges he filed for 30 hours of compensation but records show he only worked 26.75 hours. The second count, also from March of 2016, indicates he he claimed 23 hours but only worked 18.25 hours. The third count from June and July of 2016 indicates he claimed 13.5 hours though records show only 5.5 hours. The fourth count from October of 2016 claim he signed for 13.5 hours of compensation but records indicate only 5.5 hours. The fifth count from November of 2016 claim Parker signed for 20 hours but only worked 16.75 hours.

Both men are represented by Gabriel Etter Harris of Carson & Coil PC out of Jefferson City.