CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In Chesapeake, a police officer is facing a Class 4 felony charge for forgery after court documents stated she admitted to faking one man's signature.
Chesapeake Police Officer Skysha Nettles worked for the department's 2nd precinct and is currently suspended without pay.
According to court documents filed in Chesapeake General District Court, Nettles issued a summons to one man on New Year's Eve for shoplifting in South Norfolk.
Court documents said Nettles explained the summons, gave the man a copy, but did not get the man's signature.
In the one-page criminal complaint, Chesapeake Police Sergeant Marshall Cortimilla noticed the lack of signature and told Nettles she needed to track the man down and get his signature.
Documents say four days later, Nettles came back with a signature, but her supervisor said in the complaint "it didn't look right."
The complaint said Cortimilla then opened a criminal investigation, and eventually tracked the man down to ask if the signature was his.
The man reportedly said no.
On January 11, Cortimilla confronted Nettles about the alleged forged signature, and Nettles admitted to writing the man's signature. She signed the summons because "she could not locate him."
As part of a Class 4 felony, Nettles could face up to 10 years in prison and pay up to $100,000 in fines if she is convicted.
Chesapeake police spokesperson Leo Kosinski said they believe this is an isolated incident.