TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Two colonels at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office have resigned amid an internal investigation into academic cheating allegations.

In an emailed statement, the sheriff's office confirmed Col. Christopher Rule and Col. Michael Hannaford entered their resignations, effective immediately, on October 17.

"The internal investigation into the allegations will continue until its conclusion, and we will release the findings once they are complete," the sheriff's office said.

According to authorities, Rule is under investigation for hiring a man named Robert Roush to write a research paper for a class with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Hannaford is also being investigated for paying Roush to write a report relating to a project.

Hannaford supervised the

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