MAY 23, 2022:
A now-former Rapid City Police officer has been accused of petty theft of cash from Rapid City Central High School while serving as the school resource officer.
41 year old Matthew R. Hower of Rapid City is charged with taking less than $400 during April and May of this year (2022).
Hower was fired after a police department review of school surveillance video. The RCPD then notified the state Division of Criminal Investigation, who will be investigating the situation.
Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick says he recognizes “this is a violation of trust and in direct contrast to our values and missions.” He says these criminal actions are “upsetting and troubling, and I never envisioned having to deliver this type of message about an officer.”
Hedrick said the matter is being taken “very seriously.” within the Police Department.
(News partner KOTA contributed to this story.)
MAY 20, 2022:
The office of the South Dakota Attorney General revealed this week (May 19, 2022) that a Complaint and Information charging Aggregated Second Degree Petty Theft (SDCL 22-30A-1, 22-30A-17.2, and 22-30A-18) has been filed against former Rapid City police officer Matthew R. Hower, 41 of Rapid City.
The case stems from incidents which occurred while Hower was acting in his capacity as a Rapid City Police Officer and School Resource Officer for the Rapid City School District over a period stretching from April through May of 2022 in Rapid City.
The prosecution of the case will be handled by the Office of the Attorney General. Any individual named is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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