The former police chief of Oakland has been federally charged for the alleged misuse of public funds.
Terry Poland, who had been the police chief of the Burt County town since 2015, was placed on administrative leave in June  he spent $14,000 in city funds on personal recreation items, such as an ice-fishing house, a wake board and a basketball backboard.
Poland, 33, now of Fremont, resigned in July and later voluntarily surrendered his state law enforcement certification.
In a letter last year from Deputy Nebraska State Auditor Craig Kubicek to the mayors of Oakland and Lyons, Kubicek outlined an investigation into more than $14,000 in questionable expenses at the Omaha Scheels store by the Oakland police chief.
People are also reading…
The former police chief had said he used gift cards to buy ammunition from the Scheels sporting goods store in Omaha.
But Kubicek said Poland had used the gift cards, obtained with municipal funds, to buy other relatively expensive items for himself, like a Yeti cooler, jewelry, ice fishing equipment and a $949.99 Elite Glass 54†basketball backboard.
In information filed last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Higgins said March 22, 2020, Poland, who was responsible for the safe-keeping of public money, used it to buy a basketball backboard to be installed at his home.
Poland is set to make an initial appearance and enter a plea to the misdemeanor next month.
In January, he was charged in state court with a misdemeanor theft from a Target in Douglas County on Sept. 29 and was approved for pretrial diversion.