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Reserve Officer Charged With Theft And Official Misconduct After Being Accused Of Stealing Gun, $2,500

Last updated on Thursday, February 15, 2018

(LAUREL) - A former reserve police officer faces charges after a pair of thefts he’s accused of committing while working for the Laurel Police Department.

34-year-old Clinton M. Ellis was arrested on charges of theft and official misconduct. According to Indiana State Police, the investigation started in January after a Laurel police officer received a handgun from Ellis as a gift in December. The Laurel town marshal contacted ISP about the gun.

As it turned out, the handgun was stolen-detectives said Ellis seized it while executing a search warrant in November and never submitted the gun into evidence. Investigators said he kept it in his possession before giving it as a gift to the other officer.

In addition, detectives learned that Ellis received $2,500 from the town of Laurel in November 2016 to conduct drug investigations. However, that money wasn't used for its intended purpose and Ellis couldn't account for it, police said.

The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office issued an arrest warrant for Ellis this week on two counts of theft. An official misconduct charge was also added, since the alleged thefts happened while Ellis was working as a reserve police officer. He was relieved of his position with the department in January.

Police arrested Ellis Tuesday without incident. He was taken to the Franklin County Jail.

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