This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former Unified Police Department officer accused of making fake DUI reports and working overlapping shifts to steal taxpayer money pleaded guilty to reduced charges Monday.
Stephen F. Hall, 44, retired last May amid an internal investigation that allegedly found he had faked reports while working grant-funded overtime shifts, sometimes at the same time he was clocked-in at other jobs.
From 2010 to 2013, Hall was double-paid about $14,100, according to charges filed against him in 3rd District Court.
Hall — a 20-year veteran with UPD — was originally charged with second-degree felony theft by deception and three counts of class B misdemeanor falsification or alteration of government record. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to third-degree felony attempted theft by deception and a misdemeanor charge of falsifying a government record. The remaining charges were dismissed.
He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on June 2.
Unified police have the option to work federal and state grant-funded overtime shifts specifically for DUI and underage drinking enforcement. During 2012, Hall reportedly made 27 DUI arrests, issued 398 citations and impounded 27 vehicles during such shifts, according to the charges. But the police records did not match up: they showed only one DUI arrest and four citations.
Supervisors also found that Hall had made up 50 other cases, in which he filled out fictitious information about people who did not exist, the charges add.
After comparing all of Hall's time cards, an investigating lieutenant discovered that Hall got paid for working grant shifts during the same time as his part-time security jobs at a State Liquor Store and a Salt Lake County hospital, according to the charges.
"In a few instances, Hall was clocked-in at three jobs at one time," the charges state.
Twitter: @jm_miller