Columbus, Ohio – A former official from the Delaware County Sheriff’s office has been indicted on a theft in office charge, leading to felony charges.
Jeffrey Bessinger, an employee of the sheriff’s office for over 20 years, recently faced an indictment by a Delaware County grand jury.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office informed ABC 6/FOX 28 that in June, a supervisor from the sheriff’s office noticed discrepancies in the time sheets and logged hours of a sergeant. Consequently, on June 16, Sergeant Bessenger was placed on administrative leave.
The Westerville Police Department was asked by the sheriff’s office to investigate the allegations. On December 6th, Bessenger was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of alleged theft in office.
ABC 6/FOX 28 reached out to Bessenger’s attorney, but as of now, we haven’t received a response.
Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has issued a statement, saying:
“First, I am very proud of our supervisor who discovered the misdeeds and did the right thing by reporting this as soon as he became aware. As public servants we are – and should be – held to a higher standard. We represent and serve the people of our community. When a public servant breaks that trust, we all suffer. Law enforcement professionals must have strong moral character and at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, we work hard not only to gain our community’s trust but earn it every day by our actions.
Retired Franklin County judge Richard Frye and a special prosecutor from Marion County will join the case. This decision was made after a judge and prosecutor voluntarily stepped down due to a conflict of interest.
There are currently no scheduled dates for any hearings.
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