A Louisville Metro Police officer was indicted on a felony charge of theft by deception after an internal investigation found he used grant money for "his own financial gain."
LMPD announced the charges against Officer Patrick Schultz — theft by deception and unlawful access to a computer — in a press release Tuesday. Schultz has been with LMPD since 2015.
According to LMPD, Schultz applied for two community grants under the guise of department programming, but he used the money himself. The department didn't elaborate on where the grant money came from or how much, aside from it being more than $500 but less than $10,000.
The indictment followed a Public Integrity Unit investigation, LMPD said, and Schultz is on paid administrative reassignment while an investigation proceeds into what department policies Schultz might have violated.
Schultz's personnel file shows he's received several commendations. He's also received several written reprimands: in 2016 for violating rules on court attendance; in 2019, for an "at-fault" collision in his police vehicle; and again in 2019, for violating court attendance rules. Schultz was also suspended for three days last year after he violated the "appropriate action" rule and failed to activate his body camera.
This is the second time in as many months that LMPD integrity unit investigations have led to charges against officers. In May, two LMPD officers were charged with misdemeanors for failing to provide “proper assistance” to a domestic violence victim who was later murdered.
The charges come as LMPD is under national scrutiny related to its internal investigations after the March death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by LMPD officers executing a warrant at her home.
Last week, LMPD's interim chief moved to fire one of three officers under investigation related to the shooting. But the attorney general's office, not Louisville police or prosecutors, will decide whether any criminal charges will be brought against officers involved in the Taylor shooting.
