OWENSVILLE, Ohio — A former officer with the Owensville Police Department is in the Clermont County jail facing charges after he allegedly bought a $2,280 Taser bundle online and billed the department for it, according to court documents.
An affidavit filed in Clermont County Municipal Court on May 12 says Joshua Fullbeck signed a five-year contract with Axon and listed the Owensville Police Department as the billable party without authorization.
Fullbeck has been charged with one count of telecommunications fraud and one count of theft in office.
The department caught the purchase when the police chief, Mike Freeman, received an invoice from Axon for $480. After discovering the purchase hadn't been made by anyone still working in the police department, officers contacted Axon and learned Fullbeck signed the contract on April 29, 2021 and attested he had the legal authority to bill Owensville Police Department for the purchase.
Fullbeck was later terminated from the department on December 15, 2022.
According to court documents, Freeman said he never authorized Fullbeck to sign any contract on behalf of the Village of Owensvile or its police department.
Fullbeck is currently being held in the Clermont County jail on a $10,000 cash bond after he turned himself in, court records show.
In February, Fullbeck was found guilty of theft after a trial and was sentenced to community service and a fine of $200. In that case, court documents say Fullbeck was terminated from the Owensville Police Department in December 2022 and afterward refused to return equipment that belonged to the department.
The department made multiple requests that Fullbeck return the items, and he confirmed receiving five of those requests, but still insisted the Village of Owensville prove its ownership over the items, court documents say.
Fullbeck stole a Motorola XTS5000 portable radio, balistic panels, 52 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a collar insignia, various items of uniform clothing and refused to return his building keys and key card. In all, the items totaled $5,700 in value, documents say.
The radio was mailed to the police department on Feb. 6, just a few days after he was charged with theft, police said.
WCPO reached out to the Owensville Police Department for comment, but they declined to speak until after Fullbeck is indicted by a grand jury.
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