Former Bethany Beach Police Officer Sentenced in Theft Case

Wilmington, DE – The Delaware Department of Justice announced today that former Bethany Beach
Police Officer Robert L. Talbot pled guilty in Sussex County Superior Court on Wednesday, August
27, 2008 to charges stemming from a criminal investigation by the Bethany Beach Police Department
and the Delaware Department of Justice. That investigation followed a 2007 audit of the Bethany
Beach Police Department overtime budget.
Talbot pled guilty before Judge E. Scott Bradley to one count of Theft By False Pretense and
one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing. The charges cover falsification of overtime
documents and medical reimbursement requests that were submitted and paid by the Town of Bethany
Beach.
Judge Bradley immediately sentenced Talbot to one year imprisonment for each charge,
suspended for one year of probation for each. He was ordered to pay restitution of $3,132.22 to the
Town of Bethany Beach. In addition, Talbot agreed not to contest decertification by the Council on
Police Training (COPT) and agreed not to seek future employment as a police officer.
On March 10, 2008 Talbot was indicted by the Sussex County Grand Jury Talbot on multiple
charges, including Forgery, Official Misconduct, Theft, and Offering False Instrument for Filing.
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