The Village of Chittenango Police Department is under new leadership following the arrest of former Chief Jeffrey Paul. Paul has stepped down after 15 years as chief. Our Andrew Sorensen has more.

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MADISON COUNTY, N.Y. -- The Chief of Police for Chittenango has stepped down following his arrest Monday. Jeffrey Paul, 53, also resigned from his position as a deputy with the Madison County Sheriff's office.

Paul pleaded not guilty Monday morning in the Town of Lenox to two counts of offering a false instrument for filing, both felonies. The Sheriff's office says Paul filed time sheets as a deputy that included multiple overlapping periods of time that Paul conducted work for both law enforcement agencies and his personal business. He also owns two funeral homes in the county.

The arrest was the culmination of a 13 month long investigation, which included a search late last week of village offices, the police department and Paul's funeral homes.

"At least a year, I think the concerns, I think it's fair to say that the concerns were out there for at least a year. I think the intensive investigation took place over the last several months," said Madison County District Attorney Bill Gabor.

Paul was released on his own recognizance. His next court date is scheduled for April 2nd.

In a statement released Monday, Paul's attorney, James Roman, highlighted what he called an “unblemished record over 23 years of dedicated service in law enforcement for Chittenango and Madison County.” He said the charges against his client relate to timesheets submitted over a number of years and the alleged inaccuracies represent a small percentage of those time sheets.

He went on to emphasize that "His employment position as Chief of Police for Chittenango was a salaried one, and that time sheet records were often filled out days and even weeks after the fact."

Roman said his client does not intend to put his family or the public through the spectacle of trial proceedings and decided to resign from both positions due merely to the filing of the charges.

The Village of Chittenango had this to say about the status of the police department: “The Village wants to insure the residents that they will continue to receive the same service they have always enjoyed. The Police Department continues to be staffed seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Village has begun to investigate different options on how it will be managed in the future. For the time being, Sgt. Paul Donahue will oversee the day to day operations.”

For the time being, Sgt. Paul Donahue will oversee the day to day operations.