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Aug. 23 - Former Buena Vista Police Chief Richard Hartman pled no contest in Buena Vista Circuit Court this morning to an amended indictment of misuse of public assets, a class four felony. He was originally charged with embezzlement of public funds in relation to several personal purchases made with a city credit card between February of 2019 and May of 2022.
Judge Edward Stein sentenced Hartman to two years in prison, all of which was suspended, and two years of supervised probation. Hartman has already made restitution of $2,800 and will pay an additional $718.83 in restitution as part of the plea agreement.
Bobby Lilly, the commonwealth's attorney for Giles County who was brought in as a special prosecutor for this case, said that he hopes the conclusion of the case “restores faith in the officers that work for the [Buena Vista Police] Department.”
“This was a reflection on the administration of the department, not of the hard working officers in the department,” he said.
Hartman was hired as the Buena Vista police chief in 2015, replacing Chief Darrell Slagle who retired in 2014. Prior to coming to Buena Vista, Hartman served in the Newport News police department for more than two decades, including a tenure as captain of the city’s north precinct. During his tenure in Buena Vista, he helped the department receive state accreditation in 2018.
For full details of the plea, see the Aug. 30 edition of The News-Gazette.
