Former Nebraska police chief pleads guilty to misusing funds

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A former Nebraska police chief pleaded guilty on Friday to the misuse of public funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Terry A. Poland, 33, was a former chief of the Oakland Police Department.

From February 2020 to January 2021, Poland purchased about 27 gift cards from sporting goods stores using the city’s charge account.

The total value of the gift cards was $14,631. Poland used the gift cards to acquire items for himself and family members.

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Poland later said all the gift cards were used to purchase ammunition for the Oakland Police Department and provided receipts that captioned each purchased.

Those receipts were fraudulent and didn’t match the stores’ records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Poland’s sentencing is scheduled for July 25.