DICKSON, Tennessee – A former Dickson school resource officer is in custody after a grand jury indicted him on a theft charge. Investigators say he logged dozens of hours on his time sheet that he never worked.
The Dickson County Grand Jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging 49-year-old Kenneth Howard with one count of theft over $1,000. Howard was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Dickson County Jail on a $5,000 bond, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
How the investigation started
TBI special agents opened the case on June 5 at the request of 23rd Judicial District Attorney General Ray Crouch. Agents investigated Howard’s time while he worked as a school resource officer for the Dickson Police Department.
Investigators presented evidence to the grand jury that Howard recorded dozens of hours on his time sheet that he never actually worked. The TBI did not say how many hours were involved, how much money the hours represent, or when Howard left the department.
The indictment is a theft charge tied to the pay Howard received for those hours.
What happens next
The TBI release did not list a court date. Howard has not been convicted of anything.
The TBI noted that the charges and allegations in its release are accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. Howard is presumed innocent unless and until the state proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and he is convicted through due process of law.
