Former officers receive suspended sentences Two former Columbus Police Department officers have been given suspended sentences by a special judge after pleading guilty to ghost employment. Dan Meister, 47, 952 Jackson St., Hope and Ron May, 59, 8015 S. County Road 875W, Columbus were originally charged with official misconduct, ghost employment and theft — all Level 6 felonies. Both worked a second job providing security at Columbus Regional Hospital while clocked in as city officers. Meister is accused of overlapped hours worked on 52 separate occasions, while May is accused of overlapped hours on 62 separate occasions between Jan. 1, 2013 and Aug. 31, 2018, according to a State Board of Accounts audit.