Stan Maddux
LAPORTE
| A LaPorte police officer has been charged with embezzling $7,000 from the
LaPorte Fraternal Order of Police for Chicago Cubs tickets and other personal
expenses.
Mark
Bishop, 32, is charged with Class D felony theft.
He
is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in LaPorte Circuit Court.
Bishop
has resigned his position with the FOP and as an officer with the LaPorte
Police Department.
Indiana
State Police on April 24 were brought in to investigate after the bank balance
for the LaPorte Fraternal Order of Police was discovered significantly lower
than anticipated.
Bishop,
as treasurer of the organization, was issued a bank card strictly to carry out
FOP-related financial transactions on the account.
But,
according to court documents, the investigation uncovered personal transactions
by Bishop on the account mostly at local restaurants and bars from March 2013
to April of this year.
The
card also was used to pay for hotel stays in Evansville and Louisville along
with one visit each to Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City and Four Winds Casino
outside New Buffalo, court records disclosed.
There
were many alleged ATM withdrawals with the card along with a $456 purchase for
Chicago Cubs tickets on April 17, 2013.
According
to court documents, Bishop, when confronted by FOP President Robert Metcalf,
said that he was having financial difficulties and after using the card a few
times realized it was "easy and then started to use the card more
frequently."
In
a written apology to FOP members, Bishop called his alleged actions
"stupid and very foolish."
"I
used the card for personal use due to the fact that I wasn't in a good
financial spot in my life," said Bishop, who in his letter used the words
"stupidity and selfishness" to describe his alleged behavior.
Bishop
also told investigators that he intended to pay back the entire sum with money
from his Indiana Public Employees Retirement Fund account.
Charges
were authorized June 3 by LaPorte Circuit Court Magistrate Nancy Gettinger
after she reviewed the findings.
Bishop
was issued a summons to appear for his initial court hearing scheduled for
Wednesday.
LaPorte
County Prosecutor Bob Szilagyi said he requested Bishop be issued a summons
instead of having him arrested when told by investigators that he had the money
to repay the FOP.
He
said a summons being issued for a felony case doesn't happen often, but in this
case discretion was exercised.
"Based
on the fact he was paying it back, I didn't want to issue a warrant," said
Szilagyi.
Bishop
was on the department for almost three years. He could face anywhere from a
six-month to three-year sentence.
