A Mesquite police officer is on paid administrative leave after someone in the department accused him of ripping off two charities.
The department is investigating Officer David Sutton, a veteran of the department for more than 20 years who is suspected of stealing from the Texas Special Olympics and Mesquite Santa Cops program.
The department raises money for both programs, and Sutton is accused of skimming donations.
"Our stock and trade with the public is that they trust us to do the job," Lt. Bill Hedgepeth said. "Anytime we have an allegation that involved public trust, we take that allegation very very seriously."
Hedgepeth said Sutton faces a criminal investigation, as well as an Internal Affairs investigation.
It was not clear how much money is allegedly missing.
Sutton has not been charged with anything, and the investigation could take several weeks.
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Sutton has been a senior resource officer for 10 years and was most recently assigned to Wilkinson Middle School, Hedgepeth said.
NBCDFW.com knocked on two homes in Mesquite listed as addresses for David Sutton. Activity was seen in both homes, but no one answered the door.
