Winchester, KY, Firefighter Arrested for Collecting Overtime He Didn't Earn
A Central Kentucky firefighter has been arrested after he was caught inaccurately logging overtime hours for more than a year.
On Tuesday, Winchester Fire Chief Christopher Whiteley contacted police after learning that Kenneth Ball had fraudulently stolen money from the fire department. Whiteley, his administrative staff and the city’s director of finance conducted a self-initiated internal audit and discovered Ball had falsely claimed overtime hours over the past 13 months, according to Winchester Police Chief Travis Thompson.
“It was determined the employee was not actually at work when claiming overtime,” Thompson said in a news release.
Ball confessed to the allegations during an interview with a Winchester police detective. Thompson said he was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with theft by deception — $10,000 or more.
Ball resigned from the fire department, according to Thompson.
“The city of Winchester has zero tolerance for employees claiming fraudulent time and moved swiftly to do an internal investigation and bring this crime to justice,” Thompson said in the news release.
Ball was not listed as an inmate in the Clark County Detention Center Friday morning. A court hearing has not been scheduled.
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