On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office made public the termination of Lt. Michael Wells and Detective Elias Rivera following an internal audit that scrutinized their timecard submissions. This investigation was prompted by a suspicious irregularity discovered in August.

Initially, a supervisor flagged a discrepancy on Wells’ timecard. It appeared that on August 4 and 5, Wells claimed to work his regular shifts while simultaneously fulfilling duties as an instructor at a law enforcement academy. This overlap raised questions about his actual hours worked.

The Sheriff’s Office policy permits up to 40 hours of leave for instructors, which Wells did not utilize, nor did he tap into his annual leave. As a result, the department launched a criminal investigation into possible “double-dipping,” suspecting theft and fraud on Wells’ part.

PCSO said they allow 40 hours of leave time for instructors, and Wells did not use that leave or any annual leave. In response, PCSO said they started a criminal investigation into Wells for possibly “double-dipping,” or committing theft and fraud.

On Aug. 22, PCSO said Wells was placed on administrative leave.

“During the investigation it was found Wells taught several classes at the academy since Jan. 2024 equaling 169 hours, during which he did not request any leave, academy or annual,” PCSO said in a release. “Wells was paid by the sheriff’s office and the law enforcement academy during that time.”

Based on the “documented overlaps” of Wells working for the sheriff’s office while teaching classes, PCSO said they lost approximately $6,522.49, “more than the minimum threshold for grand theft.”

“Following the completion of the criminal investigation, an internal investigation was conducted that found in addition to ‘double-dipping’ there were several instances where Wells had falsified his timecard by not taking annual leave while on vacation or participating in personal activities,” PCSO said. “Wells was found in gross violation of conduct unbecoming an officer and participated in conduct that could severely affect public faith and trust as well as commission of a crime.”

After completion of PCSO’s internal investigation into Wells, the sheriff’s office said they fired him on Oct. 6 and charged him with grand theft and official misconduct, both felonies.

Due to Wells’ position as a supervisor and lieutenant in the agency, PCSO said a review of others’ timecards was initiated.

On Sept. 30, PCSO said a secondary investigation began involving timecard discrepancies by now-former Detective Rivera.

During the investigation, PCSO said it was determined that Rivera failed to enter leave time when he worked at least 16 off-duty details in seven months during his regular scheduled work hours. The sheriff’s office said because of this, it cost them approximately $2,558.45.

The investigation into Rivera was completed Monday, PCSO said, as the sheriff’s office arrested him on charges of felony grand theft and official misconduct.

Rivera was then fired on Thursday for gross violation of conduct unbecoming of an officer and participating in conduct that could severely affect public faith and trust, as well as commission of a crime, according to PCSO.

The sheriff’s office further stated that Wells and Rivera both have no disciplinary history and both started with the agency as patrol deputies; Wells began working with PCSO in 2014, while Rivera began working with the sheriff’s office in 2019.

“To say I am disappointed is a gross understatement to how I feel about the discredit these two have placed on my agency,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “We have a commitment to uphold the faith and public trust our community places with us and these two trampled it for personal gain and are no different than the criminals we arrest on the streets. I expect that we continue to operate at a high standard of professionalism. We will continue to ensure we provide the best service to our community and be fiscally conscious of taxpayers money. No one is above the law, and even financial crimes are detrimental because they erode public trust in the many hardworking men and women in this agency. My promise is to continue to hold each person accountable for their actions, and those who cannot meet the standard will no longer be employed, and in cases like these, they will also face criminal charges.”