Former CMPD officer charged with embezzlement pleads guilty — with a caveat
A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer charged with stealing $900 from a suspect pleaded guilty Wednesday.
Henry Chapman, 49, took an Alford plea — meaning he maintained he was innocent but admitted that evidence would likely lead to a conviction — according to court records. In the eyes of the law, he is guilty.
He’ll be on supervised probation for two years and have to complete a cognitive behavioral intervention course. Chief District Court Judge Roy Wiggins approved the plea deal.
Chapman’s attorney, Michael Greene, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
What happened?
On March 14, police arrested a man on a federal warrant and gave him a speeding ticket.
Chapman delivered the man — and his money — to CMPD’s University City division office, according to an affidavit.
When other officers were in view, the man called out Chapman. Chapman pocketed about $1,000 and tucked it in the driver’s side door of his patrol car, the man under arrest said.
His guess was close. Chapman had nine $100 bills.
The next day, Chapman’s department charged him with embezzlement.
Chapman no longer works for CMPD, the department has said.
Court records show that prosecutors dismissed the man’s speeding charge on Sept. 6.
“The case was dismissed as there is a low likelihood of resolving a misdemeanor traffic matter in a timely manner, while the defendant remains in custody on federal criminal matters,” said Mike Stolp, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, in a message.
Body camera footage told fuller story
The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, WSOC-TV, obtained body camera footage of the arrest and confrontation by filing a petition in court. In North Carolina, a judge has to sign off on body camera video being released to the public.
“(My client) was alone and in handcuffs, and rightfully fearful of the officers who had his life in their hands,” said Dominique Camm, an attorney for the man arrested, in a statement to the Observer this summer. “He just witnessed a man with a badge and a gun manipulating his money and the officers he was trying to articulate that to, struggled to understand what he was saying or outright disbelieved him.”
He was thankful that body camera recordings “provided a minimal balance in the power of credibility between an ordinary citizen and law enforcement” since the latter is “generally perceived as automatically credible,” Camm added.
On Friday, Camm questioned why prosecutors offered Chapman an Alford plea in the first place.
“Although Mr. Chapman accepted some responsibility for his actions, this process has been a slap in the face of accountability,” he added. He did not know about the plea until a reporter called, he said.
Stolp said an Alford plea is nothing out of the ordinary.
“Alford pleas are frequently entered on criminal cases across the country as a matter of law,” he said. “Their effect in the law is the same as any other plea of guilt.”
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
