Robert Gavin is reporting for the Times Union a former Coeymans police officer has been indicted on felony charges alleging that he submitted false paperwork to a state agency claiming that four police recruits had undergone the proper field training. Kevin Schwebke, 38, of East Greenbush, worked as a part-time officer and served as a field training officer in Coeymans. He pleaded not guilty to the indictment during a court appearance on November 14. Schwebke is charged with four counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. The felony carries up to four years in prison upon conviction. Schwebke is currently employed as a Menands detective. The indictment said in Coeymans, Schwebke submitted final evaluation paperwork for two trainees in August 2018, and two others in January 2019. All municipal police officers in New York are required to complete a basic course for officers within one year of the date of their original appointment. It includes a minimum standard of 700-plus hours of training, which includes field training. Schwebke was required to physically observe recruits in person to evaluate and document their progress in a daily report. Instead, he submitted allegedly false paperwork to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services claiming the recruits had completed their in-person training when they had not. Many of the recruits had to repeat their field training, officials said. Schwebke's attorney, Michael McDermott, said his client was told to administer a training program developed by his supervisors. He was told the plan was approved by the appropriate authorities at the police academy. "He just administered the program as it was designed. He never intended to defraud, [or] deceive anyone. He's been 100 percent transparent as soon as this matter became an issue," McDermott said. Schwebke was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on December 16. Read the full story in the Times Union.