Former Greene County detective accused of lying about military service
news@greenecountymessenger.com
A former detective for the Greene County District Attorney’s office is accused of lying about serving in the military and holding various police training certificates, which helped him to be hired last year when he briefly worked there as a criminal investigator.
Timothy D. Nease Sr., 63, of Hickory, was charged Nov. 10 by the same office he worked for during a two-week span in late June and early July before he quit mid-shift when he could not provide proper documents for his military and police history, according to court documents.
Nease was originally considered for the detective’s position in May 2021 when his resume was sent to human resources. District Attorney Dave Russo interviewed him two weeks later and reviewed the resume, which referred to Nease as a retired captain who served in the U.S Coast Guard.
Nease was hired as chief detective and began working June 28. Two weeks into Nease’s tenure, Russo asked for documentation supporting aspects of his resume – including military service and police training certificates – so they could be placed in his personnel file. Nease apparently brought a binder of paperwork in on July 12 to show Russo his work background, but would not allow the district attorney to make copies, according to court documents.
Nease then abruptly told Russo he was resigning and left in the middle of his shift without explanation. Russo instead terminated his employment and began reviewing his military history and training credentials with the help of federal investigators.
A U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service report released this September revealed that Nease never served in any branch of the military, and contract work he claimed he did for the Department of Defense in retirement never happened, investigators said. He also did not have a Merchant Mariner Credential, as he claimed in his resume and on various websites for his business ventures. A report from Pennsylvania State Police also showed that he did not have all of the firearm training certification and instructor qualifications as he claimed on his resume, according to court documents.
“Something felt a little off about all of the accolades and achievements that Mr. Nease had provided the county,” Russo said in a written statement. “Through an extensive background investigation by the Greene County District Attorney’s detective unit, it had quickly appeared that there was a significant amount of fictitious accomplishments inside of the resume that Tim Nease provided and ultimately relied on in order to secure the position as chief county detective.”
Nease worked nearly 76 hours during his time in Greene County and was paid $1,845 for his salary, which was boosted by his claim of veteran’s status. Russo said Nease also had access to confidential and sensitive information because of his position as chief detective.
Newspaper articles from several publications indicated Nease worked as a police officer for various departments since 1989, including as Fort Cherry School District’s school resource officer and most recently as a part-time patrolman in California Borough. It is not known if he is still employed in those roles in Washington County.
He also listed the chief executive officer for CampusSafe Solutions, which offers training seminars to school administrators and teachers, according to its website. It also shows him as the founder and chief executive officer for Firearm Training Specialist LLC in Graysville.
Misdemeanor charges of falsely claiming to hold professional licenses, unsworn falsification to authorities and misrepresentation of member or veteran of military were filed at District Judge David Balint’s office in Waynesburg.
Nease could not be reached for comment and no lawyer was listed for him in court documents.