Two Middlebury Cops Inflated Overtime, Coerced Contractors

MIDDLEBURY, CT — Two Middlebury police officers who were fired in the summer are accused of padding their overtime by falsifying documents and threatening contractors, according to The Waterbury Republican-American. The town outlined the allegations against Alton Cronin and Randy Ireland recently.

The two are accused of coercing contractors into hiring police officers to guard construction sites by saying that they would be booted off town roads if they didn't comply. They also falsified documents to enhance their overtime and special duty pay, The Republican-American reported.

Ireland had served in the department since July 2016, and Cronin, also the police union president, had been with the department since April 2000. Both were terminated at a Police Commission meeting in July.

An attorney for the officers at the time said there was no internal investigation into before the firing and claimed that Cronin was fired to avoid paying him retirement benefits.