KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — A now former Knoxville Police Department patrol officer repeatedly submitted false overtime requests, getting paid at least $8,473 for work he did not do, according to the Tennessee Comptroller's Office.
Joshua Robert Smith, who quit the department in May 2019, faces charges in Knox County Criminal Court of official misconduct, forgery and theft over $2,500. He was indicted this month.
The Comptroller's Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been investigating Smith's conduct.
According to the Comptroller's Office, Smith at least 98 times submitted OT requests from February 2017-February 2019 for time he actually didn't work. The requests amounted to 272 hours, state authorities allege.
"Smith admitted that he requested overtime pay for time he did not work to help pay for medical bills," the office states in a news release Thursday.
Also, the investigation showed, the former officer would use a marked cruiser at times while working a second job that had nothing to do with KPD, a violation of department policies.
KPD began looking into Smith's work habits last year, triggering the investigation, according to the Comptroller's Office.