Former Martinsville police chief Matt Long pleads guilty to official misconduct
MARTINSVILLE — A former police chief for the city of Martinsville has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of official misconduct, resolving a criminal case that was filed against him more than three years ago.
Matt Long, 42, appeared in Morgan County Superior Court I on Friday along with his attorney, John Kautzman. Special prosecuting attorney Sonia Leerkamp appeared on behalf of the state, and Monroe County Special Judge Valeri Haughton presided over the hearing, which took place over Zoom.
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As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a felony charge of theft.
Long will be placed on probation for one year, and he was also ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution, with $6,500 going to the state of Indiana and the remaining $1,500 going to Traveler's Insurance. Kautzman said the money has already been returned to both parties, which also
Prior to sentencing, Kautzman argued that his client should be immediately eligible for alternative misdemeanor sentencing given his lack of criminal history, an absence of any danger to the public and the unlikelihood that he would commit a similar crime in the future.
Under state law, alternative misdemeanor sentencing allows Hoosiers who are convicted of a felony to have the charge reduced to a misdemeanor provided they meet certain requirements.
Long said he has not worked in law enforcement since January 2019, when he was placed on administrative leave following an investigation by the Indiana State Board of Accounts into irregularities in his accounting for overtime and sick leave. He told the judge he is currently self-employed as an automobile detailer.
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Long joined the Martinsville Police Department in 2004 after working for one year in the Morgan County Sheriff's Department. He was appointed city police chief in September 2016.
Between January 2016 and December 2018, Long accrued $6,786 in unearned overtime pay and $1,530 in overpaid sick days, according to the results of the SBOA investigation. The audit also found that the city failed to provide proper oversight to ensure that leave time was being posted properly.
Kautzman said Long's accrual of unearned pay was the result of health issues he was going through at the time and his inability to properly navigate the city's software for logging overtime and sick leave.
"I think Matt Long is the kind of person the alternative misdemeanor sentence statute is designed for," Kautzman said. "He has a very distinguished law abiding life and career that he led prior to this incident."
Leerkamp said she felt Long should have known better given his position in law enforcement.
"I don't have any reason to believe it was accidental or unfamiliarity with the software system," Leerkamp said. "He was in that system for long enough, and he has been a law enforcement officer long enough to know what the law is."
Leerkamp said she felt it was appropriate for Long to wait until the end of his probationary period before the felony charge can be reduced to a misdemeanor.
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Haughton ultimately compromised by requiring Long to complete six months of probation before the charge gets reduced.
"Mr. Long, I wish you very good luck in your future," Haughton said. "I realize this is a step back, but I have no doubt that you can overcome it, and I truly wish you good luck."
Long will report to the Morgan County Probation Department on Tuesday.
Contact reporter Peter Blanchard at 765-346-2942 or pblanchard@reporter-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterlblanchard.