Cleveland police officer arrested on charges of insurance fraud

photo Officer Edwin Millan

Cleveland Police Department officer Edwin Millan was arrested today and charged with insurance fraud.

The Bradley County Grand Jury charged Millan this morning with insurance fraud over $10,000, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false report, according to Steve Crump, district attorney in the 10th Judicial District.

The Cleveland Police Department placed Millan on paid administrative leave last week.

The grand jury charged Millan along with two others after an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Bradley County Sheriff's Office and Georgia authorities.

According to a Cleveland police report, Millan reported on May 17th that his car was stolen from outside his apartment the night before. He said his car was valued at $25,000, and he did "not know who may have taken his vehicle," the report states.

The night before, a car with tags registered to Millan was found on fire just across the Georgia line in Murray County, Ga., on Highway 225.

A Murray County deputy on the scene noticed a red gas can in the passenger side floorboard and reported that it appeared someone had intentionally set the car on fire, according to a Murray County police report.

Crump began looking into the incident the day after Millan made the report about his car being stolen at the request of acting-Police Chief Mark Gibson. Crump said Gibson requested that he look into the investigation because Gibson "had significant questions about the report and felt that the matter should receive additional scrutiny."

For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Timeline of City of Cleveland police scandals

› Sept. 6: Cleveland firefighter Cody Vaughn was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with public intoxication and providing or enticing a female minor to consume alcohol.› Aug. 19: Sgt. Eddie Bonnett was placed on administrative leave after a female officer complained to her supervisor that Bonnett, her shift sergeant, texted an “inappropriate” photo from his personal cellphone to hers.› Aug. 7: Officers Carlton Walls and Chad Nave are placed on administrative leave to investigate allegations of extramarital sex and a woman’s accusation that she was sexually assaulted July 31 at a rented cabin in Gatlinburg.› June: Lt. Steve Tyson and Officer Jeffrey Griggs’ demotions and reassignments upheld for policy violations related to investigation of ex-Chief Dennis Maddux’s affair with Griggs’ wife.› May: Maddux submits retirement letter after internal affairs investigators said he lied about the relationship and events involving Cindy Griggs.› February: Officer Jeff Griggs finds his wife and Maddox trysting in a car across the county line in Calhoun, Tenn.› January 2014: Longtime Chief Wes Snyder retires after surveillance video showed him meeting a woman at a warehouse storage unit fitted out with a rug, blankets and a bottle of brandy.› July 2013: Former Officer Ross Wooten is suspended and later resigns over the third allegation of sexual misconduct since he joined the department in 2004. The woman also sued him in federal court.› May 2013: Sgt. Bill Higdon is terminated for repeated policy violations two months after suggestive texts and explicit photos from him turn up on the phone of a high-dollar prostitute whose death by gunshot was ruled a suicide.› December 2011: Snyder claims there was no evidence to investigate allegations of that officers were giving pills and alcohol to teenage girls and having sex with them before one officer shot and wounded another in December 2008. An investigation led to the imprisonment of Officers Dennis Hughes and Nathan Thomas on charges of having sex with 14- and 16-year-old girls.

Earlier report:

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