Officer pawns guns to pay electric bill, faces theft charges
By Adam Roberts, DMM
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MANSFIELD, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — A Mansfield police officer pawned two pistols he took from the police chief’s office to pay his electric bill, according to a narrative released by law enforcement.
Stephen Eric Townley, 42, of Greenwood, faces two charges of theft by receiving – firearm.
The electric company shut off the power at Townley’s house earlier this year while he was with his wife and kids, according to the document. Townley hadn’t paid the electric bill because he didn’t have enough money to do so.
Townley knew there were two guns in the police chief’s office, and no one knew who owned them. He took those two guns and a gun he owned to a pawnshop, where he got a loan for $700.
Townley said he planned to pay off the loan and return the guns as quickly as he could. When the chief discovered the guns were missing, he ran them through a law enforcement database and found where they had been pawned.
Townley was arrested on Oct. 29 and given a $2,500 bond.
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