ARVIN, Calif. — Arvin Police Chief Scot Kimble agreed to enter a plea of guilty or no contest to the charge of being a public official who willfully submitted records knowing that they were false.
According to the Kern County District Attorney's Office, Kimble entered a no contest plea on the grounds he resign his position as Chief of the Arvin Police Department, be placed on three years probation, and be ordered to provide restitution in the amount of $1,075.47 to the City of McFarland.
The DA's office alleged Kimble, during his previous position as the Chief of Police at the McFarland Police Department in 2016, presented and delivered writings he knew to be false, resulting in improper distribution of City funds to officers under his command
The charge alleged that as Chief of the McFarland Police Department, Kimble misappropriated McFarland City funds when he intentionally added unearned hours to an officer’s payroll time sheets in consideration for the officer’s work remodeling portions of Kimble’s home. The records were submitted during the pay periods of July 3-16 and September 12-24, 2016. Kimble submitted and approved these records to the McFarland City Finance Department for payment to the officer.
The total cost to the City of McFarland, according to the DA's office, for these two incidents was $745.20.
The DA's office said Kimble further assigned the officer to attend training courses out of Kern County during a two-week period during September of 2016, with the intent of having the officer complete construction work on Kimble’s personal home during the evenings, requiring 25 miles of travel in a city-owned vehicle each way between Kimble’s home and the training center. The cost to the City of McFarland relating to the officer’s unnecessary travel over the two-week period was $229.50, according to the DA's office.
Additionally, Kimble asked another officer to leave his duty assignment and use a city police vehicle to respond to Kimble’s personal home in Kern County for assistance unloading Kimble’s personal household goods from a truck into his home. The cost to the City of McFarland for this incident was tabulated to be $100.77, the DA's office said.
Kimble's resignation is set to be effective on March 13.
