Harford County correctional officer indicted on theft, forgery charges

BEL AIR — A Harford County grand jury has handed up an indictment against a suspended Harford County Sheriff’s Office correctional officer who is accused of stealing money from a woman by forging one of her checks, police reported.

The suspect — Shawn Forton, 40 — is charged with felony theft of more than $1,500 and three forgery-related counts, two of which also are felonies, according to Harford County Circuit Court records. Forton is scheduled for an Aug. 19 initial appearance, court records show.

Forton has been employed as an HCSO correctional officer assigned to the Harford County Detention Center since August 2006 and he holds the rank of senior deputy. (The Harford County Sheriff’s Office oversees the detention center operation, and the correctional offices who work there are HCSO deputies.)

He initially was suspended with pay on July 10, after an investigation into “allegations of a criminal nature” had been reviewed by Sheriff’s Office Command, police said. After the grand jury indicted Forton on Tuesday, however, HCSO officials modified his status to suspended-without-pay “due to the severity of the charges,” police added.

After learning of the allegations relating to Forton from a “member of the community,” detectives assigned to HCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division and agents with the Office of Professional Standards quickly started “parallel investigations into the allegations,” according to police.

“During the investigation, detectives spoke with a female victim who alleged Forton forged a check, in the name of the victim, of an undisclosed amount, and deposited it into his personal bank account. The victim and Forton were known to each other outside of Forton’s employment at the Harford County Detention Center,” an HCSO spokesperson outlined.

Investigators later presented the information that they had gathered to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, which then conducted a follow-up investigation to determine the appropriate charges — before presenting its case to a Harford County grand jury on Tuesday, police said. The grand jury handed up the indictment against Forton later that day, police added. Then on Wednesday, one day later, Forton was served a criminal summons, police noted.

Police officials are urging anyone who has any information pertaining to this case to call HCSO Lt. Brandon Underhill at 410-638-4480.

After the criminal indictment against Forton was filed, HCSO Sheriff Jeff Gahler commented, “We expect the highest level of integrity from all agency members as it is the backbone to ensuring public trust. Although this case has yet to be adjudicated, it is deeply disappointing that an individual entrusted with confidence has been accused and charged with breaching that trust. Such behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated within my office.”