Springfield jail guard charged with felony

A guard employed by the Springfield jail was arrested earlier today and then released with a citation requiring him to appear in court later this month to answer a felony charge of false claims for having allegedly billed the state of Vermont for work hours when he wasn't actually on-duty at the jail.

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Springfield Jail Guard Charged with Felony Time sheet padding allegedly went undetected for years Friday, August 4, 2017 Eric Francis Vermont News Subscribe SPRINGFIELD, VT - A guard employed by the Springfield jail was arrested earlier today and then released with a citation requiring him to appear in court later this month to answer a felony charge of false claims for having allegedly billed the state of Vermont for work hours when he wasn't actually on-duty at the jail. Advertisement: Content continues below... Advertise with DailyUV! Chad Newton, 32, of Springfield has been under investigation since February when he was removed from his regular duties at the Southern State Correctional Facility and placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation was conducted, Vermont State Police Detective Sergeant Mike Dion said in a release issued Friday afternoon. Detective Dion said that analysis of time sheet records submitted by Newton for payment stretching back to 2013 found evidence that Newton "engaged in fraudulent claims in which he would submit time sheets stating that he'd worked a regular shift when he had in fact been on vacation or out on sick leave." "He also submitted time sheets for overtime that he never worked," the detective alleged, concluding "Total financial losses to the state for the fraudulent claims are estimated to be in excess of $6,000 dollars." Newton is still on paid administrative leave from the Vermont Department of Corrections while he awaits his day in court. His arraignment is scheduled for August 29th at the Windsor County Courthouse in downtown White River Junction.