East Cleveland’s chief of police has been indicted on 13 felony charges in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on charges including theft, tax evasion and tampering with records.
According to the indictment, Chief Scott Gardner failed to pay more than $150,000 in taxes between 2014 and 2019. He’s also accused of stealing between $7,500 and $150,000 from the local police union, the Fraternal Order of Police.
Few details have been released by the prosecutor’s office or East Cleveland about the allegations. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office declined to comment beyond that the investigation remains open.
East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King said Monday that Gardner has been placed on administrative leave, three days after the indictment was filed in court.
According to his Linkedin profile, Gardner has been with the East Cleveland Police Department since 1999, and also owns a private security company based in Kent called Constant Protective Services.
Gardner is scheduled to appear in court for the first time September 12th.
