Lubbock police on Friday confirmed an officer has resigned a month after she was arrested and placed on administrative leave when she and a firefighter were accused of falsifying a child’s birth record.
April Marie Mora, 38, and Jonathan Forkner, 39, were booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on May 19 on counts of falsifying a birth certificate.
Both were released on bond later that day.
Mora, who is represented by Matt Morrow, faces four counts of the offense, while Forkner, who is represented by Charles Chambers, is charged with two counts for an alleged plot to keep the biological father away from the child, according to court records.
Both LFR and LPD announced Mora and Forkner were placed on administrative leave pending investigations.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, June 19, Lubbock police issued a brief news release confirming Mora submitted her resignation earlier in the afternoon. LFR and LPD did not immediately respond to A-J requests seeking additional information about Forkner’s employment status or the status of the investigations.
Responding to LFR, LPD employee arrests in May
Lubbock police Chief Seth Herman hosted a news conference early Tuesday evening, May 19, announcing Mora’s arrest. Shortly after, Lubbock Fire Rescue shared a news release announcing Forkner had been arrested. Neither department’s communications mentioned if the two were linked.
Herman said Mora was initially placed on paid administrative leave on April 15 on an unrelated investigation.
However, on April 29, investigators with the Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit learned that Mora may have falsified her child’s birth records, Herman said.
Herman did not disclose the specifics behind the charges but said it involved a “love interest and a consternation between the two parties.”
Mora, who began working for the police department in 2016, remained on unpaid leave May 19 and was held at the Lubbock County Detention Center, but was later released on bond set at $3,000. Jail records indicate Forkner has also been released on bond.
“The Lubbock Police Department recognizes the amount of trust that is placed within our department and the men and women who serve this community, which is why when an officer is implicated in a criminal offense, we believe it is of supreme importance to come to you, the public, with this information,” Herman said.
During thew news conference in May, the chief added that the ongoing administrative investigation limited the department from releasing additional information about the case.
Adam D. Young is the Editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe-News in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at ayoung@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock police officer resigns month after she, firefighter arrested
Reporting by Adam D. Young and Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam D. Young and Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
