Cecil County Sheriff's Office sergeant facing theft charges

ELKTON — A Cecil County Sheriff’s Office sergeant is facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to report to work without proper leave on several days over a one-and-a-half-year period and for “numerous incidents of unauthorized overtime hours,” translating to an overall theft of nearly $10,000, the agency reported Thursday.

CCSO officials identified the suspect as 41-year-old Brian Soler, who has been employed by the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years and holds the rank of sergeant. After the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a criminal information document against Soler on Wednesday, CCSO officials suspended Soler without pay and stripped him of his police powers, police reported.

Soler is charged with theft of more than $1,500 and less than $25,000 and theft scheme of more than $1,500 and less than $10,000, both of which are felonies, according to Cecil County Circuit Court records. He also is charged with misconduct in office, which is a misdemeanor, court records show. Soler is scheduled for an Aug. 27 initial appearance, according to court records.

The investigation leading to the criminal chargers against Soler started on June 4, when the CCSO administration received an internal complaint from a “fellow supervisor” who alleged that Soler had failed to appear for work on several occasions without using proper leave, police said. That internal complaint spurred an investigation authorized by Sheriff Scott Adams, police added.

“The investigation covered a year and a half time span and uncovered numerous days in which Sgt. Soler failed to report to work without authorized leave, and numerous incidents of unauthorized overtime hours. The total amount of the theft is estimated at just under $10,000,” outlined Lt. Michael Zack, a CCSO spokesman.

Soler was not arrested but, instead, was charged by way of criminal summons, Zack reported, noting that serving a suspect with a criminal summons is a “common practice should any citizen face similar accusations.”

CCSO investigators worked in conjunction with the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office on this case, police reported.