Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Stealing Christmas Money

TEXAS CITY, TX — A 42-year-old former Texas City police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $2,000 of Christmas money from a man who died from a heart attack. Linnard Ray Crouch pleaded guilty to one count of theft by a public servant and was sentenced Tuesday, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Crouch accepted a plea deal requiring 10 years of probation, NBCDFW reported. On Dec. 19, 2016, Crouch had responded to a call of a driver who had gone off road. That driver was James Mabe, 74, who had suffered a heart attack and who had $2,400 on him to buy Christmas gifts.

At the hospital, Crouch gave Mabe's wife Linda an envelope of money only containing a few hundred dollars, the Morning News added. Crouch resigned on Jan. 30, 2017, and was charged with theft in July 2017, the Morning News added.

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Photo via Galveston County Sheriff's Office