A 29-year-old Florissant man and former St. Louis County police officer was taken into custody without incident on Monday after prosecutors charged him with stealing $25,000 or more from Schnucks Markets, where he had worked off-duty as a security guard. Derrick Williams allegedly submitted timesheets claiming he worked security shifts for Schnucks on dates when he was actually on duty as a police officer or did not work the claimed shifts.
According to RiverBender, Williams joined the St. Louis County Police Department on Jan. 4, 2017, and left the force on Sept. 18, 2026, giving him more than nine years with the department before his departure. Court documents cited by the outlet show he worked as a Schnucks security guard from January 2026 until August 2026, according to KMOV. Investigators say some of the claimed shifts were never worked, while others overlapped with hours he was already logged as working for the police department.
How the Payroll Discrepancies Surfaced
The case began when Schnucks security staff noticed internal payroll anomalies and launched their own review before referring the matter to police, the same RiverBender report states. Detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department's Bureau of Crimes Against Persons then took over the criminal investigation, identifying multiple dates where Williams's employment claims conflicted with his actual whereabouts. Investigators determined the discrepancies added up to a loss of more than $25,000 for the grocery chain.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office formally filed a single felony count against Williams on Monday: stealing $25,000 or more/teller machine or contents, per the same account. Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 570.030, that Class C felony threshold carries a potential sentence of three to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to defense firm Combs Waterkotte.
Secondary Jobs Are Common Among County Officers
Off-duty security work is a routine arrangement for St. Louis County police officers. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting cited by Police1 found that as of December 2025, roughly 63 percent of the department's 790 commissioned officers — 498 in total — were authorized to hold secondary employment. That widespread practice underscores why departmental oversight of off-duty timesheets matters, since it creates opportunities for the kind of scheduling conflicts alleged in Williams's case.
This is not the first time a St. Louis County officer has faced allegations of double-billing hours between the department and private security work. A former St. Louis County police lieutenant and internal affairs commander was charged with a Class D felony for allegedly double-dipping while working private off-duty security during his official police hours, according to KSDK. That case involved roughly $2,400 in double-billed hours, a far smaller sum than the amount alleged in the current charge against Williams.
What Comes Next
Police say Williams was taken into custody without incident following the filing of charges on Monday, and the investigation remains active. RiverBender noted that the charge is an accusation and that Williams is presumed innocent. It is not yet known whether additional shifts, dates, or store locations beyond those already identified will factor into the case as it proceeds.
