A 32-year veteran with the Seymour Police Department was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday amid the beginning of an investigation into his conduct, police report.
Capt. Carl Lamb faces allegations of ghost employment and official misconduct, according to a news release from Lt. John Watson. Lamb will remain on paid leave until the investigation concludes.
Detectives with the Indiana State Police Post at Versailles are handling the investigation, police said.
Watson said in the news release that an internal investigation will be completed following the state police’s initial investigation.
Circumstances of the allegations were not released and it’s unclear when they were reported.
“The Seymour Police Department is fully cooperating with the Indiana State Police investigation,” Assistant Police Chief Craig Hayes said.
Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, public information officer with the Indiana State Police, said the agency was made aware of the situation Monday and that ghost employment and official misconduct can fall under a number of scenarios.
“Everything is allegations at this point and until we can determine whether they’re true or not, we will continue to investigate,” he said.
The state police’s findings will then be forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office where it will be determined whether or not Lamb would face any criminal charges.
Wheeles said it’s difficult to determine how long the investigation would last, but that it will likely include a lot of documentation.
“Every case is different, but we have seen them take a long as months,” he said. “We’re going to look into everything we can and make sure it’s a thorough investigation before it’s turned over to the prosecutor.”
Some of the potential scenarios that could lead to allegations of ghost employment and official misconduct include collecting pay from another job or performing personal tasks while on duty.
As captain, Lamb is third in command at the department and oversees special initiatives, scheduling shifts, equipment maintenance scheduling and other basic day-to-day operations.
He joined the force on Aug. 26, 1987, as a patrolman and has held the ranks of detective, detective lieutenant, detective captain, corporal and sergeant before being promoted to captain. He was recognized as officer of the year in 1992 by the Police League of Indiana and in 2003 by the Brownstown Exchange Club.
The state police recently handled an investigation involving ghost employment with two Columbus police officers who were accused of working secondary jobs during hours they were also working as law enforcement officers.
Lamb did not return a request for comment.