A Denton County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Friday after being accused of stealing from two men he stopped for a vehicle registration check.
Joshua G. Laningham, 28, a peace officer with the sheriff’s office for four years, facing two charges of official oppression and one charge of theft over $1,500 and under $20,000 by a public servant.
He was booked into the Denton County Jail on Friday morning, with bail set at $15,000.
According to a sworn statement from investigators, Laningham ran a registration check on a vehicle in the 2100 block of Lakeview Lane on Tuesday evening. Shortly after that, a resident in the same block called 911 to report a policeman driving a white Chevy Tahoe had stolen money from him and his friend, according to the arrest affidavit.
He has been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave, records show.