SALT LAKE CITY -- A veteran cop with the Unified Police Department has been fired after being accused of stealing money and faking DUI reports.
Stephen Hall was let go after an internal investigation was completed about 6 months ago. He could face up to 15 years in the Utah State Prison if convicted. He's been charged with a second-degree felony and a number of misdemeanor charges.
"He had like 27 DUI arrests, impounds of vehicles as a well as a whole host of citations and it was discovered that he had not in fact done any of that," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
The former UPD officer allegedly paid himself $14,000 in overtime through a DUI enforcement program funded through a state grant. The veteran cop who worked as an officer for 20 years was not only allegedly stealing money, but falsifying DUI arrests with fake names.
"At the end of the day these are taxpayer dollars that are being taken and taxpayers certainly deserve that accountability," Gill said.
The 43-year-old has has been charged with theft by deception, a second-degree felony and four counts of falsifying government documents, a class B misdemeanor.
Gill said the case was brought to him after an internal review at UPD. The DA says it's always tough to prosecute law enforcement officers.
The misdemeanor charges of altering government documents stem from January 2012 around the same time Hall was put on paid administrative leave. The most serious charge is from January 2013. Detective Jared Richardson, UPD, said Hall voluntarily retired halfway through the investigation.
