Fairfield officer receives probation for burglary

WASHINGTON – A Fairfield police officer received a deferred judgment Friday, Aug. 23, after pleading guilty to second degree burglary.

Ryan Mills, 31, of Washington, Iowa, was charged in February with stealing narcotics from the Veterinary Clinic, P.C., in Fairfield, on Jan. 1, 2019. Mills initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but later changed his plea to guilty.

At Mills's sentencing Aug. 23 at the Washington County Courthouse, District Court Judge Crystal Cronk granted him a deferred judgment and placed him on probation for five years. Provided Mills complies by the terms of his probation, he will not serve time in prison.

To avoid a conflict of interest, the Jefferson County Attorney's Office turned the prosecution of the case over to the Washington County Attorney. According to a news release from the Washington County Attorney's Office, 'Mills, while working in uniform as a patrol officer for the Fairfield Police Department, entered The Veterinary Clinic of Fairfield, Iowa, during the early hours of January 1, 2019, and stole opioids from the clinic while it was closed. Leadership at the Fairfield Police Department and Jefferson County Attorney's Office took immediate action, placing Mills on leave and bringing in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to conduct an investigation.”

At sentencing, the Iowa Department of Corrections, which makes sentencing recommendations for the court, recommended Mills receive a deferred judgment. The sentencing court agreed despite the resistance of Washington County Attorney John Gish. With a deferred judgment, Mills will not receive a conviction on his criminal record.

Mills was ordered to pay restitution to The Veterinary Clinic of Fairfield in the amount of $698.08.

The Union asked Gish why he resisted the Iowa Department of Corrections's recommendation for a deferred judgment.

'Burglary is a serious offense, made more serious by the fact that Mills committed the crime while on duty as a police officer, despite his sworn oath to serve and protect the people of Fairfield,” Gish said. 'Mills should have been convicted, not only to punish him for the seriousness of what he did, but to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system and law enforcement.”

Gish continued, 'I cannot speak for why the Department of Corrections made its recommendation for a deferred judgment. But I disagree with a deferred judgment because it is a non-conviction, meaning it's possible Mills could become a police officer again.”