Former Police Officer Indicted for Stealing Crime Stoppers Cash

A former Junction police officer rumored to be dipping into the Kimble County Crime Stoppers fund has been indicted on a state jail felony following an investigation conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

According to the indictment, 44-year-old Ted Merrill Morgan is accused of stealing between $1,500 and $20,000 from the Crime Stoppers fund on or about April 27, without a basis of payment of a cash reward.

Morgan, an officer of an estimated 16 years with the Junction Police Department, had access to the Crime Stoppers account as one of the individuals certified to manage the program.

According to Junction Police Chief Rudy Supak, word of Morgan’s inappropriate actions first surfaced in the community rumor mill, eventually spreading to him as suspicions grew.

“I took my concern to the district attorney and we turned the case over to the Texas Attorney General’s Office,” Chief Supak said. “They did a very thorough and complete investigation. I wanted to make sure the investigation was impartial—that there was no question as to its integrity—to make sure an outside agency did it and it was straightforward, honest and true.”

Chief Supak estimated that the rumors began to circulate around March or April and, once the investigation was underway, he located paperwork in Morgan’s possession that dated back to the early ‘90s. Having only been Junction Police Chief for the past year, Supak said he was not sure how long Morgan had been working with Crime Stoppers, but noted that he did recently complete training to update his certification.

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The money for Crime Stoppers funds comes in part from probation fees collected in the county and monetary donations made by other organizations. An exact amount of money alleged to have been stolen by Morgan has not been reported.

As the AG’s investigation drew closer to August, Morgan was called in for an interview with the investigator in regard to the accusations of theft.

“Probably about two to three weeks ago, the Attorney General’s Office came to question him, and the day they questioned him he cleaned out his office,” Chief Supak said. “The very next morning, he resigned.”

Supak said had Morgan not resigned, he would have been placed on suspension until the grand jury met and returned an indictment on Aug. 31, at which time his employment would have been terminated.  

According to his Facebook page, Morgan worked with the JPD from July 1996 to July 2015. Chief Supak said Morgan was employed by the department on two separate occasions, equaling an estimated total tenure of 16 years.

Noting the fragile relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities they police, Supak said he firmly believes in holding LEOs to a higher standard and in departmental accountability.

“I believe that public officials—and that includes law enforcement—have to set the standards for the community, and if we don’t hold ourselves accountable, we’re doing a great injustice to the community as a whole,” he said.

Ted Merill Morgan was booked and released from the Kimble County Jail following the indictment on Aug. 31.  He was charged with one count of misapplication of fiduciary/financial property >/= $1,500 < $20,000. He was released on a $25,000 bond.

Morgan is currently working as a plumber at Hardin Plumbing. Employees of the company could not answer how the indictment will affect his employment. Neither Morgan nor the owner of the plumbing company returned phone calls. 

Tonya Ahlschwede, 452nd District Attorney, is prosecuting the case against Morgan.