The second of three Adams County Sheriff’s Office executive staff members involved in a 2023 record-falsifying scheme pleaded guilty to forgery and misconduct Thursday.
Former Adams County sheriff Rick Reigenborn pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony forgery charge, two misdemeanor forgery charges and a misdemeanor official misconduct charge, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.
Reigenborn received a 12-month deferred sentence on the felony forgery charge and a concurrent 12-month probation sentence on the misdemeanor charges, according to Thursday’s release. He must also write a letter of apology to the men and women of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
A deferred sentence happens when a person pleads guilty to a crime, but the judge gives the defendant the opportunity to comply with probation instead of accepting the plea and convicting the individual.
Alongside Reigenborn, former Undersheriff Thomas McLallen and former Division Chief Michael Bethel were accused of conducting a scheme to falsify police records, including signing training rosters for classes they did not attend and submitting training certificates to Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training.
As part of the plea agreement, Reigenborn will relinquish his state peace officer certification and will no longer be eligible to serve in Colorado, judicial officials said Thursday.
“We are committed to ensuring law enforcement integrity and that all law enforcement officers engage in necessary training,” Attorney General Phil Weiser stated Thursday. “Former Sheriff Reigenborn failed to do that, undermined his professional obligations, and broke the law.”
McLallen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation in January for his role in the training records fraud scheme.
Bethel still faces charges in the case, including felony counts of forgery, attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to attempt to influence a public servant, Thursday’s release stated. Bethel’s next court date is set for June 13.
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