Former Falmouth police chief pleads guilty in abuse case

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Former Falmouth Police Chief Mike Lane Posey pled guilty to abuse of public trust charges Friday morning, according to Attorney General Jack Conway’s office.

Posey was Chief of Police in Falmouth, Ky. from March 2008 until his resignation February 5, 2015.  

In a Franklin Circuit Court courtroom on Friday, Posey pled guilty to:

• Abuse of Public Trust Over $500, a Class D Felony, 2 year sentence
• Theft by Unlawful Taking of a Firearm, a Class D Felony, 1 year sentence
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument Second Degree (14 counts), Class D Felonies, 1 year sentence on each count to run concurrent for a total of 1 year on all 14 counts.

“I appreciate the hard work of my Office of Special Prosecutions and my Department of Criminal Investigations in securing a guilty plea in this case,” Attorney General Conway said.  “These laws are in place to protect the citizens in Kentucky from the illegal mismanagement of resources by public officials and to ensure that there is accountability when public servants are entrusted with public funds.”

An investigation by the Attorney General Department of Criminal Investigations uncovered that between March 2008 through December 2014, Posey took over $500 in funds from a drug task force account.  The Attorney General’s office says, Posey would solicit donations from local businesses for drug cases and deposit the funds into one account.  Posey would then write checks out of that account for cash and keep the funds for personal use.

According to the attorney general, Posey also forged the signature of a co-signor to the account.  Also, Posey purchased a gun with Falmouth Police department funds approved by city council and then sold the gun to a friend for a higher amount.

As a condition of his plea agreement, Posey has agreed to pay back $16,700 in restitution and can no longer work in law enforcement.  Posey’s penalty range, two to four years in prison, and the possibility of probation will both be determined by the Court at his sentencing hearing.

Posey is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18 in Franklin Circuit Court.