A former Fond du Lac police officer will spend 60 days in jail after being sentenced Wednesday on two misdemeanor theft charges.
After deliberating for over six hours, a jury found former Fond du Lac police officer Rich Woodruff guilty of two counts of misdemeanor theft. Woodruff admitted to using two "Cops for Kids" gift cards last summer for personal use. He reimbursed the program later.
Judge Richard Nuss dismissed gave Woodruff 60 days of conditional jail time with work release privileges, two years of probation, and 40 hours of community service for each year Woodruff's on probation.
Woodruff's lawyer, Kirk Everson, says his client was the victim of inadequate policies for a non-profit program. Everson says the program did not have policies and procedures in writing, so Woodruff didn't know he was doing anything wrong.
Washington County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hanson was the special prosecutor on the case. She says Woodruff's actions damaged the police department's reputation in the community.
In sentencing the 45-year-old Fond du Lac man, Judge Nuss said, "You're a good person, but you made a very, very bad decision."
