A Henry County sheriff's sergeant has resigned and been arrested on theft, fraud, ghost employment and official misconduct charges after an investigation by the Indiana State Police, the Henry County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Sergeant Ryan Burns was arrested on Tuesday, October 27, and resigned from the sheriff's office, according to the release, which was reported by WTHR in Indianapolis. All of the charges are allegations; Burns has not been convicted of anything and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case was filed by a special prosecutor, according to a detailed local report of the filing. The four charges, as reported, are: theft, a Class A misdemeanour; fraud, a Level 6 felony; official misconduct, a Level 6 felony; and ghost employment, a Level 6 felony. Using a special prosecutor is the usual way Indiana counties handle a case against one of their own law-enforcement officers, so that the local prosecutor's office is not judging a colleague it works with every day.
How the case began: a review of 'Operation Pull Over' records
According to the sheriff's office release, the case began inside the department. Concerns arose within the sheriff's office about Burns's activity in connection with "Operation Pull Over," and in early May 2026 the office conducted an internal review of records associated with deputies' participation in the program. During that review, the office said, discrepancies were found regarding possible criminal conduct. The matter was then investigated by the Indiana State Police, the agency that arrested Burns this week.
Henry County Sheriff John Sproles issued a statement announcing Burns's arrest and resignation from the Henry County Sheriff's Department, according to the local report. The sheriff's office has not, in the reports available so far, put a dollar figure on the alleged theft or fraud, and it has not said how many shifts or records the alleged ghost employment is said to cover. Those details would normally emerge from the charging documents and the first court filings.
What the charges mean
Each charge points at a different part of the allegation. Theft alleges that property — here, allegedly public money connected to the program records — was knowingly taken or kept without authority. Fraud, charged as a Level 6 felony, alleges deception used to obtain money or benefit. Ghost employment is an Indiana charge aimed at public servants: it alleges, in general terms, that a public employee was paid for work that was not actually done. Official misconduct alleges that a public servant knowingly or intentionally committed an offence in connection with the duties of the office. Burns is alleged to have done these things; the prosecution will still have to prove each element in court.
Theft, fraud, ghost employment and official misconduct are charges — statements of what prosecutors allege. No court has found Burns guilty, no plea has been reported, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence and to defend himself against every count.
Why a records review inside one program matters
Cases like this one turn on paperwork, not patrol work. Programs that pay deputies for extra enforcement activity run on time records, activity logs and supervisors' sign-offs, and the sheriff's office's own account says it was a review of exactly those records — deputies' participation records — that surfaced the discrepancies in May. That is also why the investigation was handed to the Indiana State Police rather than handled inside the department: the records in question are the department's own.
What happens next
The reports available on Wednesday did not announce a first court date. The normal next steps are an initial hearing in Henry County, where the charges are read, bail or release conditions are set, and a defence lawyer enters the case; the special prosecutor will then have to support the allegations with the State Police investigation file, including the program records at the centre of the case. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the charging documents, a court date or a statement from Burns or his lawyer becomes public.
For Henry County residents, the immediate facts are narrow and undisputed: a sergeant who was reviewed in May over program records was charged by a special prosecutor on October 27, arrested by state police, and has resigned. Everything beyond that — what was allegedly taken, over what period, and whether it can be proved — is now a question for the court.