Former Cop Who Lied About Purple Heart Sentenced

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The former officer with the Holly Springs Police Department who was convicted of lying about receiving a Purple Heart has been sentenced, bringing a close to a case spurred by an accident that resulted in his wife losing her leg.

Shane Steven Ladner was sentenced Tuesday to a total of 10 years that will be served on probation under the First Offender Act, said Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace. Ladner will also have to pay a $500 fine, roughly $6,000 in restitution to the county and perform 600 hours of community service, she added.

A Cherokee County jury convicted Shane Steven Ladner in May on five of six counts of making a false statement. Those charges stem from Ladner telling Cherokee Sheriff’s Office detectives in May 2013 that he “was wounded by shrapnel from a grenade explosion in Central America when his unit came under hostile fire while he was on active duty in the United States Army and that he received a Purple Heart Citation due to the injuries he suffered in Central America," according to a 2015 indictment handed down by a Cherokee County grand jury.

Ladner and his wife, Meg, were taking part in a 2012 parade in Texas when the float they were on was hit by a train, killing four people and injuring 17 (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

Ladner, who was employed with the Holly Springs Police Department at the time of the November 2012 accident, was chosen to take part in the Hunt for Heroes event, an all-expenses paid trip organized by Show Of Support that consists of a whitetail deer hunt, an honorary banquet and the parade recognizing the wounded warriors for their service to the country.

That fatal accident caused Meg Ladner to lose her left leg, and propelled friends and the community to organize fundraising efforts to help the couple pay for medical expenses. It also kick-started an investigation conducted by Fox 5 Atlanta that raised questions about Ladner's claims that he received the Purple Heart from the injury while serving in Panama.

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office arrested and charged Ladner in June 2013 following a six-week investigation conducted by the District Attorney's Office into the former cop's claims. The United States Army had no record of the 2004 dd214 that Ladner allegedly presented to obtain his Purple Heart Georgia license plate, the sheriff's office told Patch at the time of Ladner’s arrest.

The allegations also prompted the Holly Springs Police Department to terminate Ladner’s employment with the agency.

Image via Cherokee Sheriff's Office