[August 3, 2018, Bel Air, MD] A Harford County Sheriff’s Office Deputy has been indicted on two counts of theft scheme.

Senior Deputy Christopher Jay Allen, a 42-year-old male Deputy assigned to the Police Operations Bureau, Southern Precinct, was indicted by a Harford County Grand Jury on July 31, 2018.

Deputies from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and Office of Professional Standards initiated parallel investigations into theft allegations received earlier this year. At that time, Allen, an 18 year veteran of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, was suspended from duty with pay following a suspension hearing held on May 9, 2018; while the criminal investigation proceeded. After the felony indictment, Allen’s suspension was modified to be continued without pay, in accordance with the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights. The outcome of the criminal prosecution and/or the internal investigation could result in Allen’s termination from employment with the Agency.

Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler will not discuss the incident further as he does not want to jeopardize the integrity of the administrative or criminal investigations. He did offer the following, “As Sheriff, I firmly believe the community we serve deserves transparency and accountability and the actions taken in this case demonstrate our deep commitment to earn and maintain our community’s trust.”

Allen was served a criminal summons on August 2, 2018, without incident.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards and will thoroughly investigate all allegations of misconduct, remaining vigilant to ensure our efforts are professional and meet the high standards the public has come to expect from our deputies. The acts alleged are not reflective of the hard work and dedications of the men and women of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. Members of the public are reminded the defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.