Editor’s Note —  This article has been updated with additional background information

WARSAW — An embattled former Warsaw attorney who recently resigned from the Indiana Bar was arrested Thursday, June 20, for theft, a level 6 felony.

Larry Dean Beeson

Larry Dean Beeson, 74, 2914 Maple Court, Bremen, was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail with a $2,500 cash bond.

According to Det./Sgt. Brad Keller, public information officer of the Warsaw Police Department, WPD was contacted by a former employee of Beeson to investigate a theft of money, specifically theft of social security benefits and taxes removed from the victim’s paycheck. These monies were never paid to the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. The period these thefts occurred was between 2007 and 2018 and totaled several thousand dollars. While this money was withheld from the victim, it was never paid to the federal government.

The victim was not aware of the lack of payments until preparing to retire.  Investigation revealed the victim then confronted Beeson about the missing money from her paychecks and the fact that it was never paid out properly to the government. It was at that time that Beeson admitted he never made those payments.

Beeson formerly had a law office in Warsaw and had been the Mentone town attorney until he abruptly resigned earlier this year.

According to the website theindianalawyer.com, Beeson resigned from the Indiana Bar in February amidst allegations of misconduct. He was arrested for theft by the Warsaw Police Department on Thursday, June 20, but details on the arrest have not been reported by police.

According to The Indiana Lawyer, Beeson began practicing law in 1970. The website reported that the misconduct charges that prompted his resignation were dropped in exchange for him leaving the bar. While the website reported that details on the alleged misconduct were not made public, Beeson had been previously reprimanded for “notarizing the signature on a guardianship consent form even though he did not witness the signing.”

Beeson will not be eligible for reinstatement to the bar for five years.

“It was a really big shock to see this,” said Mentone Town Board Member Tim Croy. “And, I would have never dreamed that he would do such a thing. He always seemed to be a great lawyer while working for the town.”