One former sergeant with the Meridian Police Department has been found not guilty of over a dozen federal counts of theft and embezzlement.
Sergeant Dareall D. Thompson was dismissed from all 17 counts on Thursday, June 29 after being accused of falsifying time sheets and converting public funds for his own personal use in 2021.
Former Meridian City Councilman Weston Lindemann brought forth allegations in 2018 stating that four present and former officers of the Meridian Police Department had been embezzling and collecting federal funds.
In all, Thompson was believed to have embezzled over $14,000 between January 2016 and December 2019 from the city.
The other indictments included Captain James F. Arrington, Officer Tenesia A. Evans, and former Officer Erica L. Harmon.
Arrington was given charges of two counts of theft and embezzlement amounting to over $22,000, while Evans was charged with one count of theft and embezzlement of over $13,000. Harmon was also charged with one count of theft and embezzlement of more than $5,000.
“This ordeal has been the hardest thing that my family and I have ever gone through, and today, I will start by trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. I want to first thank my Heavenly Father for His grace and mercy,” Thompson told WTOK. “I would also like to thank my wife and children and family for their continued love and support, my friends for standing by me, and my attorney, Joe Hollomon, for presenting the facts and fighting on my behalf. I know I can not get back the years that have been taken from me, but I look forward to picking up where I left off, beginning with getting my life back, and continuing to do the work that I love. Today is a new day, and I’m looking forward to the future and all that God has in store.”
