Ex-Sheriff Pennington, two others facing criminal charges

Ex-Saline County Sheriff Bruce Pennington accepted free granite countertops in exchange for helping a man get out of a community service and took money from inmate phone cards to pay for his own legal troubles while in office, authorities allege in charges filed against him Friday.

Two other former employees of the sheriff's office were also charged, including a former lieutenant over criminal investigations who a confidential informant said provided her drugs in exchange for sex, the documents show.

Pennington, who left office last year after pleading guilty to alcohol-related charges after an arrest at a Benton restaurant, was formally charged Friday morning after an investigation by special prosecutor Cody Hiland.

Pennington is facing felony charges of theft of property and abuse of public trust and an additional misdemeanor theft of property charge. He was arrested at a Benton Wal-Mart around 11 a.m., Hiland said, though it wasn't clear if the other two ex-employees had been arrested.

According to the charging documents, the abuse of public trust charge reflects Pennington purportedly providing a false letter claiming a man who had been sentenced to community service had completed the work when he hadn't. Pennington then accepted an offer from the man to install granite countertops for free in his home, a probable cause affidavit states.

Pennington admitted providing the false letter and acknowledged that the man "wanted to repay him ... for the favor," the affidavit said. It added police spoke with multiple witnesses who said Pennington "bragged about the countertops and how he obtained them."

Pennington is also accused of using a $1,000 check to the sheriff's office for personal expenses after indicating it would be used to buy vests for the SWAT team and taking money that went missing from inmate phone card revenues. He used that to pay his own fines in district court from his own arrest and subsequent guilty pleas to public intoxication and refusal to submit to arrest.

Two others formerly employed by the sheriff's office are also charged as a result of the investigation, Hiland said.

Michael Frost, a former lieutenant over the criminal investigations division, is facing charges of delivery of a controlled substance and illegal use of a communication device.

According to a probable cause affidavit for Frost, an informant told authorities Frost would provide her narcotics and Frost "in turn would get sex" from the informant.

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Ex-Sheriff Pennington, two others facing criminal charges