Former Missouri Police Chief Charged with Stealing, Forgery

A former central Missouri police chief has been charged with purchasing weapons with city money and then pocketing the cash he got from selling them.

Forty-seven-year-old Michael Ward was charged Wednesday with two counts of stealing and one count of forgery. He resigned earlier this month as the police chief of the 4,200-person town of California.

Court documents say the interim chief subsequently discovered that a handgun, AR-15, and two holographic sights were missing while doing inventory. KOMU-TV reports that investigators said Ward bought the AR-15 and holographic sights with department funds and sold the guns to a Jefferson City pawn shop.

Investigators also said Ward forged time sheets for an officer with whom he had an intimate relationship.

No attorney is listed for Ward in online court records.