Judge releases Louisville police officer indicted for theft, misconduct over timecard inaccuracies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville Metro Police officer accused of lying on his timecard appeared before a judge Tuesday morning on charges of theft and misconduct.

Roberto Grider, who was once a school resource officer at Moore High School, was indicted last week on charges of theft by deception over $1,000 but under $10,000 and official misconduct.

Prosecutors said the inaccuracies were related to overtime. According to city payroll records, Grider made $168,000 last year, with $70,000 of that in overtime.

LMPD spokesperson Sgt. Matthew Sanders said in a statement Friday, May 22, that the Public Integrity Unit launched an investigation after inaccuracies were found in Grider's reported work hours between October 2025 and February 2026.

During the investigation, Sanders said Grider had limited "police powers" and was placed on "administrative reassignment" in March.

According to court records, a judge released Grider from jail Tuesday morning on personal recognizance. He must return for future court dates as a condition of his release. He must also avoid any new arrests or violation of the law.

The criminal charges and the timeline laid out by the police department Friday conflict with statements LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey made in April after a WDRB investigation into the high cost of overtime in the agency.

On April 22, Humphrey said, "we have no concerns from what we've seen that there's any malfeasance going on with overtime."

But according to Sanders' statement, the Public Integrity Unit launched an investigation into Grider a month prior.

Overtime cost taxpayers $66 million in the last three years. Between 2023-25, payroll records show 17 officers more than doubled their pay with overtime. Another 170 officers made at least $50,000 in overtime last year alone, including Grider.

A grand jury indicted Grider Wednesday, May 20. That same day, Humphrey was questioned about the department's overtime in a city budget hearing.

Mayor Craig Greenberg is asking the council for $270 million for LMPD next year, with $22 million designated for overtime. During the hearing, Jennifer Chappell, who represents District 15, told Humphrey to take a deeper look at the overtime costs.

"I don't believe we've ever seen a breakdown of overtime by division, and breakdown of distribution on officer activity within their overtime hours," Chappell said. "I would really love to see that for fiscal year 2026 at least. And then also overtime by specialty unit."

Humphrey made no mention of the indictment that occurred earlier that day during the budget hearing.

Sanders said LMPD began Grider's termination process after he was charged.

"LMPD takes matters of integrity seriously, and maintaining the public’s trust through transparency remains a top priority," Sanders said in the statement.