Former Stockton police chief accused of stealing over $200,000
Jul 25, 2023, 10:25 PM | Updated: Jul 26, 2023, 7:39 am
STOCKTON, Utah — Stockton’s former chief of police is charged with stealing more than $200,000 during his time as the chief.
Travis Romney resigned in October 2022 to work as a detective for Grantsville Police Department where he’s now on leave.
In charging documents, Romney faces two counts of theft and one of communications fraud case, all second-degree felonies. The charges stem from DUI enforcement payments between 2016 and 2022.
Tuesday the Attorney General’s office filed the charges saying Romney stole over $200,000 from the city and state in fake DUI busts.
“The records were broken down by each DUI shift that Romney claimed through Highway Safety. The records show the date the shift was worked, hours worked, the amount Highway Safety paid for the shift, and other information about the DUI shift. Payroll records and checks paid to Romney show that from 2016-2022, he received $228,441.36 for DUI shift reimbursements. Highway Safety’s records show that for that same time period, Highway Safety reimbursed the Town of Stockton $109,797.21 for Romney’s DUI shifts.”
The documents also allege Romney altered his hourly rate while working those overtime shifts.
KSL legal analyst Greg Skordas said if Romney is convicted, the charges carry time behind bars and more.
“Unlike most people who are charged with a crime, if you’re a law enforcement officer and you’re charged with a crime, especially with a crime involving your position, you’re going to lose your career forever,” Skordas said.
Skordas doesn’t expect Romney to go to prison, but if found guilty, he said time in jail is probable. He added Romney will also be ordered to pay restitution.
