Tarrant County ex-deputy constable accused of double-dipping on trial in Fort Worth
Testimony was expected to begin Tuesday in the trial of a former Tarrant County deputy constable accused of working private jobs at the same time he was on the county time clock drawing a salary.
Former Precinct 8 Tarrant County deputy constable Keith Johnson and co-worker Jason Lockett, also a former deputy constable, each face theft charges related to a scheme to draw checks from Tarrant County for law enforcement duties and be paid for security guard work they performed at the same time, according to court documents.
Johnson also faces eight counts of tampering with a government document resulting from allegations that he falsified his time sheet records.
Johnson drew checks from Tarrant County in 2016 and 2017 totaling more than $8,500 while he was working to provide security for private employers, according to court documents.
Arnold Holmes, 61, the chief deputy of the Tarrant County Precinct 8 constable, was sentenced in March to five years’ probation for working private security jobs at the same time he was being paid for county duty.
As part of a plea agreement, Holmes was sentenced on a charge of abuse of official capacity. In addition to probation, Holmes must pay $6,660 in restitution. Public records indicate Holmes was hired in July 1996 and the most recent county records show that he was paid $74,568 a year.
The Tarrant County district attorney’s office began an investigation in November after a CBS 11 investigation showed deputy constables working as security guards at grocery stores when they were on county time.
In all, four deputy constables and a part-time deputy were accused of working security jobs at Fiesta and Wal-Mart while being paid by the county. All of the accused deputies reported to Precinct 8 Constable Michael Campbell.
Deputy constable Hayward Charles Jr., 60, was charged with theft in March. According to public records, Charles was hired in 2006, and the most recent county records show he was being paid $55,931.
In November, Campbell told CBS 11 that the double-dipping accusations were not true and that the deputies were at their security jobs while off-duty. He blamed disgruntled former employees for the “politically motivated” complaints.
Campbell told CBS 11 that Holmes was responsible for approving “flex time” to avoid overtime issues. Tarrant County officials noted that they cannot tell elected constables how to run their offices, but that they have the authority to go after money if there are discrepancies on time sheets.
Constable offices are responsible for such services as serving child support and custody orders, enforcing truancy laws and overseeing evictions. Precinct 8 includes southeast Fort Worth neighborhoods.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tarrant County ex-deputy constable accused of double-dipping on trial in Fort Worth."
