A former Porter
County Sheriff’s Police deputy is expected to plead guilty this week in
federal court to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Northern District of Indiana said.
Lawrence W.
LaFlower, 42, resigned in May from the PCSP.
“According to court
documents, between April 2013 and April 2018, LaFlower used his position as
the treasurer of the Fraternal Order of Police Ewalt Jahnz Lodge No. 165 to
embezzle over $180,000 from its investment and bank accounts,” the U.S.
Attorney’s Office said. “The FOP is a fraternal organization in Porter
County, Ind., whose mission is to improve working conditions for law
enforcement officers and serve the public by raising money for scholarships
and other programs.”
“Public officials
who abuse their positions for personal financial gain will not be
tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch said. “My office, with our law
enforcement partners, will continue to pursue those who corrupt their office
for self-serving motives.”
LaFlower was a
lieutenant with the PCSP at the time of his resignation and had served as
public information officer as well as school resource officer. In February
2010, LaFlower and Porter Assistant Fire Chief Jay Craig responded to a
house fire on East Oakhill Road and, on learning that an elderly
wheelchair-bound woman was trapped in her bedroom, entered the house without
benefit of breathing apparatus and succeeded in rescuing her. Both LaFlower
and Craig were treated for smoke inhalation and were subsequently presented
with a Life Saving Award by the Porter Police Commission.
The specific
complaint against LaFlower was not available this morning on the U.S.
District Court’s digital archive.