A Methuen Police patrolman has been indicted on larceny and embezzlement charges after he allegedly embezzled and stole money from the Methuen Patrolman’s Union from 2015 to April 2019, Methuen Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon said Wednesday.
Indicted by an Essex County Grand Jury Wednesday on two counts each of larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme and embezzlement from a voluntary association, 54-year-old Mark Whitaker served as the treasurer of the police patrolman’s union at the time of the alleged thefts. He was placed on paid administrative leave in April after an unrelated matter, Solomon said.
According to a press release from Solomon, Mayor James P. Jajuga and Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, Whittaker’s actions were discovered when other officers took over financial duties for the Patrolman’s Association.
Solomon calls Whittaker’s actions an abuse of trust.
“This case represents a staggering abuse of trust and the theft of money from police officers allegedly by one of their own,” Solomon said.
Whitaker, a full-time patrolman since 2000, is now on unpaid suspension as he awaits arraignment.