Frisbie to have his day in court

Former Putnam County Sheriff Mark T. Frisbie will be in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis Friday to face charges of federal program theft.

Frisbie will go before Judge Larry J. McKinney to hear the felony charge against him, which could result in a 10-year prison sentence and a maximum $250,000 fine.

The proceedings will be held in Courtroom 202.

Frisbie was not arrested after he was formally charged on Aug.20. He received a court summons and was released on his own recognizance. Frisbie's Indianapolis-based attorney, Robert Hammerle, said Frisbie plans to plead guilty to the charge.

A guilty plea to a federal charge will effectively end Frisbie's law enforcement career, as he will not be allowed to ever again carry a firearm. He has been a police officer for many years, and was first elected sheriff in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006.

Hammerle said he expected Frisbie to be sentenced 60-90 days after his initial court appearance. He wouldn't speculate on whether or not Frisbie would do any jail time.

Frisbie's charge was handed down by Timothy M. Morrison, United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and came as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police.

"The offense charged involves theft of misapplication of funds from a government agency," a release from the U.S. Department of Justice said. "In this case, it is alleged that Frisbie, at the time sheriff of Putnam County, Indiana, stole approximately $12,530.46 from the sheriff's department between Jan. 18, 2006 and March 28, 2007. The sheriff's department had received over $45,000 in federal grant money during the applicable period."