A jury trial for a former area law-enforcement officer accused of stealing funds from a sheriff’s department in 2016 is scheduled to begin next week.
According to a probable-cause statement, on July 10, 2017, an independent audit report showed nearly $23,000 reportedly was missing from a bank account associated with the Pettis County Sheriff’s Department.
Green Ridge resident Benjamin Banner, who is now 56, was identified as the person who allegedly stole from the fund sometime between January and August 2016. Banner’s employment with the agency reportedly was terminated by Sheriff Kevin Bond on August 3, 2016, for “unacceptable job performance.”
Online court documents say Banner is facing Class C Felonies for Receiving Stolen Property and Forgery. He posted bond in October 2017.
During his most-recent hearing on December 14, the judge set a three-day jury trial in the matter to begin Wednesday, May 1, at Pettis County Circuit Court.