Former Appleton police officer Jeremy Haney appears before Waupaca Co. court via video with his attorney, September 19, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A former Appleton police officer was convicted Tuesday of forging signatures on warrants. Jeremy Haney was fined $500 and must write apology letters to his former colleagues.
Haney, 37, pleaded no contest to one felony count of misconduct in office. Counts of forgery and obstructing an officer were dismissed.
The prosecutor and defense joined in a recommendation for the sentence issued by Waupaca County Judge Raymond Huber.
The felony conviction will prevent Haney from being employed in the future as a law enforcement officer, said Brown County Asst. District Attorney Wendy Lemkuil. That, in and of itself, is a significant sanction, she said.
Haney apologized for his actions, saying he should have received counseling for issues earlier, in which case this wouldn’t have happened.
“I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I’m sorry to everyone involved. But I’m going to keep working and try to move on,” Haney said.
The complaint indicates that Haney admitted to losing the agreed-upon warrant calling for a 45-day tracker to be placed on the defendant’s vehicle. Allegedly, Haney then forged the signatures onto another warrant that listed a 90-day tracking period.
Outagamie County’s assistant district attorney noticed the forged signatures ahead of a plea deal with the defendant in federal court, prompting a delay in the prosecution. The GPS tracker was removed at 44 days, according to the criminal complaint.
Haney, who had been an officer for 15 years, later resigned.
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