| A former volunteer police officer with the Grantsville Police Department has been convicted in Braxton County following a two-day trial.
Christopher Shane Dellinger was found guilty of falsifying accounts to obtain money under false pretenses while employed as a deputy sheriff in Braxton County.
Dellinger was reportedly under investigation by the State Police in Calhoun County related to allegedly taking money from a concealed weapons class he gave in the community.
The outcome of that investigation has never been made public.
Dellinger was facing seven counts related to falsifying accounts in an October 2007 indictment, after the State Police accused him of making false entries of hours worked on a DUI grant provided by the West Virginia Commission on Drunk Driving.
Those entries allegedly resulted in the officer getting paid for hours that he did not actually work.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty on four of the charges and Dellenger was exonerated on three remaining charges.
Judge Facemire ordered a pre-sentence investigation.
Sentencing is set for May 20. The charges carry a one to ten year jail term on each count.
Dellinger could face up to 40 years in prison, plus fines, restitution and court costs.
The defendant was allowed to remain free on a previously posted bond.
Dellinger was either removed or resigned from the Grantsville Police Department following an incident related to credentialing, with several residents claiming they did not receive a $35 refund from the officer after he gave a concealed weapons class.
The Wirt County Sheriff was also looking into the matter, since Wirt residents reportedly took the class.
Calhoun Sheriff Ballengee said Sgt. Dellinger did not produce adequate credentials showing he was qualified to give the class.
"He presented a certificate that was not proper," said Ballengee, and "I contacted Charleston, who said he was not certified."
Ballengee said he advised Dellinger he would not issue concealed weapons permits under such conditions, stating the class was not sanctioned by the Calhoun Sheriff's Department.
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