City cop accused of faking shifts, ex-Fitchburg State officer get certifications suspended
A Worcester police officer accused of receiving reimbursement for off-duty assignments that he did not work, and a former Fitchburg State University officer, were among 15 Massachusetts officers whose certifications were suspended by a new state commission.
Worcester Officer Colby Turner and Ernest Fontaine, a former Fitchburg State University officer, were among the law enforcement officers targeted by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
The commission, which announced its rulings Tuesday, was established as part of the state's 2020 criminal justice reform law. It is charged with creating a mandatory certification process for police officers and a process to decertify, suspend or reprimand officers.
Turner was arrested at the police station in August on five felony charges of larceny over $1,200 and a misdemeanor charge of submitting false claims for reimbursement. He is currently on administrative leave from the Worcester Police Department.
Between Jan. 1 and July 20, 2022, Turner is accused of submitting fictitious off-duty assignment time slips for assignments that he did not work for five businesses in Worcester, according to court records. The documents allege that the time slips appear to be in Turner's handwriting.
Turner is accused of submitting 18 time slips totaling over $3,700 for Leominster Credit Union on Shrewsbury Street, 17 time slips totaling over $5,400 for the Palladium on Main Street, 52 time slips totaling more than $18,000 for Walmart on Tobias Boland Way, 18 slips totaling more than $7,100 for South Middlesex Opportunity Council on Queen Street, and 45 slips totaling more than $9,600 for Price Chopper on Cambridge Street.
Turner entered not-guilty pleas the day after he was arrested and was released on personal recognizance.
Padraic Rafferty, Colby's lawyer, said at the time that Turner intended to address the allegations.
According to a statement from Fitchburg State University, Fontaine was placed on administrative leave in March 2022 when the university was informed of alleged criminal conduct. He was fired in July 2022.
The alleged conduct did not take place on campus, nor did it involve anyone else affiliated with Fitchburg State University, according to the university statement.
The state commission is required to immediately suspend the certification of any officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a felony.
It may also initiate an inquiry into the conduct of an officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a misdemeanor.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester cop accused of faking shifts, former Fitchburg State officer get certifications suspended
