Columbus – A former police chief for the Village of New Vienna was indicted last week for allegedly misusing donations intended for the purchase of a police K-9.

A Clinton County Grand Jury indicted Clinton Brown on Dec. 18 on a fourth-degree felony count of theft in office. 

Brown convinced village officials in 2017 to let him purchase a police K-9 using donations for all related expenses. Between Jan. 21 and June 26, 2017, donors gave $14,020 to the New Vienna Police Department K9 Fund, an account that Brown set up in his name. He received the dog, named Paige, in March 2017.

At the request of Village Mayor Kathi Stone, Auditor of State Dave Yost’s Public Integrity Assurance Team conducted an investigation into Brown’s handling of the donated funds. During the investigation, Brown admitted to spending some of the money on personal expenses, such as clothing, food and gasoline. 

“It’s disheartening to see a member of law enforcement exploit a supportive community for personal gain,” Auditor Yost said. “I’m confident that justice will prevail once Mr. Brown has his day in court.”

Following Brown’s resignation in December 2017, the village learned of an outstanding $2,600 bill for a vehicle cage that Brown purchased for a K-9 police cruiser. The village owed an additional $700 to a company that provided K-9 handler training. In all, the financial losses to the village total $5,776. 

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111