Worcester police officer arrested on 5 charges of felony larceny

A Worcester police officer is facing multiple felony larceny charges after authorities say he requested and received payment for off-duty work he did not perform. 

Colby Turner was arrested on Monday at the Worcester Police Department on five felony counts of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme and a misdemeanor of submitting false claims for reimbursement. 

Worcester police said the department became aware of potential criminal activity involving an officer’s off-duty assignments on July 21, and detectives began investigating. They developed probable cause to believe that Turner, who has been with the department about five years, had requested and received reimbursement for off-duty assignments that he hadn’t worked, according to the department. 

“At this time, we believe this is an isolated incident,” Worcester police said. “We will review our policies and procedures related to off-duty assignments, and will be conducting an internal and external audit of the system.”

Turner will be arraigned in Worcester District Court. He is currently on administrative leave, according to the department, which said the Massachusetts POST Commission has been notified.