Detectives resign, reach plea deal over classes

The two officers were ordered to repay tuition reimbursed by the city.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Two detectives who were accused of taking college courses when they were supposed to be on duty resigned Monday and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
Christopher Rond, 36, and Brian Carney, 43, were fined $500 by Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Ted Barrows, who also ordered them to repay thousands of dollars in tuition that had been reimbursed by the city.
According to court documents, an internal investigation found the men attended classes at Capital University for more than two years on hours they were scheduled for police work.
Deal reached
In a deal with prosecutors, Rond and Carney pleaded guilty to falsification for turning in false statements during the reimbursement process. They have applied for a diversion program for a related felony theft charge, the police department said. That count will be dismissed if they pay the restitution, do community service work and meet with a probation officer.
When the investigation began, Carney was taking classes toward a degree in psychology and Rond was studying psychology and criminology, said Mark Collins, an attorney for Carney.
Rond was in class at least 18 times while on duty between January 2002 and June 2005 and received more than $10,251 in tuition reimbursement from the city, said Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Jeff Blake. He lied on nine applications for reimbursement, Blake said.
Carney falsified four applications and owes $7,265 for classes he took from January 2003 to August 2005, prosecutors said.