Carmel officer resigns after arrest for identity deception 

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A Carmel Police Dept. officer resigned Aug. 18 after being charged with identity deception in Clay County.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Andrew Longyear, who began working for CPD in June 2021, is accused of creating a Facebook account using a name similar to a man he was unacquainted with in Georgia and using the man’s photos on the fake account.

CIC COM 0830 Longyear Resigns
Longyear

Longyear allegedly used the fake account to post damaging information about Josh Clarke, a candidate for sheriff in Clay County, in the Brazil Chatter Facebook group in advance of the primary election in May. The victim in Georgia contacted the Indiana State Police, who investigated and determined that the Facebook posts had come from Longyear’s phone.

During an interview with ISP, Longyear, a Fishers resident, admitted that he created the account years ago and used it to remain anonymous on Facebook, according to the affidavit. He told investigators that he copied photos from the victim’s Facebook account to his account and admitted to posting the comments about Clarke.

According to the affidavit, Longyear told investigators that information he shared about Clarke on Facebook was his opinion based on fact. The posts accused Clarke of “kicking the chair and making inappropriate comments to another subordinate officer,” “getting an all-expenses paid Hawaiian vacation on Clay County taxpayers” and “being the main reason that several deputies have left the department,” among other things.

The victim told investigators that he spoke with Clarke and his wife and that they “seem like hard working, honest and professional people and he is upset someone would use his personal pictures and name to diminish all their accomplishments,” the affidavit states.

Clarke finished in third place in the Republican primary election in May.

Longyear graduated from South Vigo High School in Terre Haute in 2008 and from Indiana State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. He worked at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office before joining CPD.


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