WV ex-police officer pleads guilty to perjury

A former police department employee in West Virginia has pleaded guilty to lying to a federal grand jury about a program that allowed people to pay with cash and gift cards to avoid criminal sanctions, a prosecutor’s office said.

Carolyn Taylor, 40, of St. Marys, pleaded guilty to perjury on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld’s office said.

The case involved the government-sanctioned “Slow Down for the Holidays” program, which allowed people charged with DUI and other offenses to avoid prosecution by giving cash, gift cards or other items of value, Ihlenfeld’s office said in a news release.

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Taylor was a clerk of the St. Marys police department and helped collect donations. She was asked about her role when she testified this year. She told grand jurors she didn’t know of anyone personally benefiting from the program and that proceeds went to charity. But investigators found she used at least one of the gift cards for herself, the news release said.