OFFICER CHARGED WITH STEALING DARE MONEY

Theft Of Laptop, Raffle Funds Alleged

CHELMSFORD -- A Chelmsford police officer was arraigned yesterday at
Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge on charges of embezzlement and
larceny for allegedly taking money from the town's DARE program and police
raffles.

Officer Michael Horan was charged in a 20-count indictment, including 10
felony counts of embezzlement, eight felony counts of larceny, and two
counts of misdemeanor larceny. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and
bail was set at $5,000, according to the Middlesex district attorney's
office. A pretrial hearing was set for June 15.

A phone listing could not be found for Horan, and he could not be reached
through the police department. His lawyer, Daniel Wilkins, did not return
calls seeking comment.

Seth Horwitz, spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley,
said Horan is accused of embezzling at least $8,000 in funds that were held
at the Police Station on Olde North Road.

According to court documents filed by assistant district attorney Richard
D. Grundy, Horan took charitable donations totaling thousands of dollars
entrusted to him as the town's Drug Awareness Resistance Officer. He also
allegedly took a laptop computer from the Police Department and raffle
money from high school sports games.

Police Chief Raymond G. McCusker, who was unavailable for comment
yesterday, suspended Horan without pay on Friday, according to Lieutenant
James Murphy.

Horan, 30, had been the town's DARE officer since 2001, Murphy said. The
DARE program, designed to prevent drug use among preteens and teens, is
taught in the fifth grade in Chelmsford. Horan was placed on administrative
leave in November, Murphy said.

The court documents filed by Grundy say that Horan was "receiving a reduced
paycheck due to court ordered child support payments, that he carried at
least seven loans with the Chelmsford Credit Union, was gambling heavily,
and purchased a $35,000 truck" during the two years he was assigned to
oversee DARE.