A former Central Florida deputy has been taken into custody.
The former deputy was recently arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after an investigation revealed that he fabricated many time cards, resulting in his getting paid $4,318.39 for hours he did not complete.
Ezekiel Williams, 25, has been charged with scheming to defraud, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, grand theft, and official misconduct, according to local police.
According to the PCSO, Williams was permitted to work light duty at Animal Control due to an ongoing medical concern; his hours were Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each Monday, he was granted PTO/FMLA to attend medical visits.
According to the PCSO, Williams began calling out of work regularly by texting the Animal Control supervisor to whom he had been assigned. After many occasions, the supervisor contacted Williams’ law enforcement chain of command to express his worries about Williams’ failure to show up for his light-duty assignments. A preliminary inspection of Williams’ time card revealed disparities in the hours he worked versus the hours he fraudulently claimed to have worked.
A thorough investigation was launched, including an audit of each pay period and the hours Williams actually worked as opposed to the hours he claimed to have worked. According to local law authorities, Williams falsely claimed 131.5 hours over three pay periods, totaling $4,318.39.
“This deputy was injured off-duty, and we gave him every opportunity to address his medical issues and continue working on a light-duty basis,” stated Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “He thanked us by stealing our money. Now he sees jail from the inside out. If he had not resigned, his position would have been terminated.”
Ezekiel Williams was employed as a deputy sheriff on May 21, 2024.
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