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Ken Johnson, 45, was indicted on two counts of theft in office and two counts of tampering with records. All are felonies punishable by six months to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

If convicted, Johnson can no longer be a police officer in Ohio, said Melissa Powers, an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor.

Johnson, who has been an officer in Lockland since 1978, was released on his own recognizance.

Johnson worked the contested overtime, said his lawyer, William Whalen. The indictment accuses Johnson of falsely claiming the overtime in June 1997 and August 1997 while he was a police lieutenant in the suburban Cincinnati village of 4,200 people. He became Lockland's police chief in late August 1997.

Mark Reiber, a police officer fired in September 1997 for allegedly threatening another officer, told authorities then that Johnson lied to claim about $275 in overtime not worked.

Lockland authorities concluded in 1997 that Johnson had not intentionally done anything wrong. But Mayor Jim Brown imposed a two-day suspension without pay for what the mayor described as sloppy and unprofessional record-keeping.

On Monday, the mayor said he ordered Johnson to use up four weeks of vacation time, then to go on administrative leave with pay until the charges are resolved. Johnson could be eligible to retire next year.