Ex-Police Chief Charged in Theft

A former police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested Friday on larceny charges, accused of stealing $85,000 from two department accounts. Karl Jacobson, who retired from the department in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant, the AP reports. He later was released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a prosecutor said in a news release. Jacobson faces two counts of larceny related to defrauding a public community. "An allegation of embezzlement by a police official is a serious matter and potentially undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said in a statement.

Mayor Justin Elicker, when announcing Jacobson's retirement last month, said the former chief admitted he took money from a city fund that compensates confidential informants for helping police solve crimes. Elicker said he had acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when three of his deputies confronted him over the financial irregularities. The mayor has called the allegations a "betrayal of public trust." Jacobson had served for three years as police chief in one of Connecticut's largest cities, which is home to Yale University. He had been with the department for 15 years before being named chief.