Former Wyandotte County Deputy Jay Pennington is out on bond after being arrested for misconduct and forgery.
Pennington oversaw the Offender Registration Office for nearly two years. He is accused of stealing money that offenders paid to register and using fake receipts to cover it up.
At his home, Jay Pennington had no comment and even denied being the deputy involved in the case.
He was arrested Thursday.
“We take it serious that no crime will go unpunished regardless who commits it,” District Attorney Mark Dupre said.
District Attorney Mark Dupre says Pennington was caught after he sent a fake receipt to the wrong printer.
“Those funds were missing and the evidence has lead us to believe Mr. Pennington is dealing with those funds,” Dupre said.
The county has about 1,000 offenders and they each pay $20 four times a year to stay registered.
“Stealing from your job is not OK,” Sarah Williams said.
She lives across the street from Pennington.
“We are supposed to trust the police department and that just kind of makes me feel on edge that there's crooks everywhere,” she said.
Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash says no one else was involved and that this does not affect the offenders.
“There are no offenders who came into register that are being considered out of compliance,” Ash said.
The sheriff says Pennington also worked for the sheriff’s office for five years from 2003-2008. The Sheriff says he left on “good terms.”
This investigation is ongoing.
