Swinton, who was 51 years old and had no significant criminal record, always maintained his innocence and endured a lengthy trial in early 2001. May 5, 2018 (Hartford, CT – March 1, 2018) With the consent of Hartford State's Attorney Gail Hardy, a Connecticut judge dismissed the 1991 murder indictment against Alfred Swinton today based on new DNA a...

A federal grand jury indicted a former sergeant for the Gates County Sheriff's Office Monday with stealing firearms and possessing a significant amount of controlled substances with the intent to distribute them. May 7, 2018 RALEIGH – A federal grand jury indicted a former sergeant for the Gates County Sheriff's Office Monday with stealing firearms...

"The warning signs were present but ignored," jeopardizing criminal prosecutions and harming the reputation of the office, states the review released Friday in response to public records requests. May 5, 2018 OGDEN — Despite complaints from colleagues, prosecutors and others, a former Weber County Sheriff's Office supervisor failed to report concer...

The DNA and blood matched up, linking Montano to the murder. He committed suicide back in 2014. May 5, 2018 TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Employees at the Tanque Verde AM/PM could breath a sigh of relief Saturday afternoon, knowing the 2013 cold case of their friend and colleague, Erick Bridges, has been solved. Employees like Eloise Trevino, who ...

"I basically became addicted to meth in the evidence room," the report quoted the custodian as saying. May 4, 2018 Ripped or razored open to get at the narcotics inside, dozens of empty evidence bags lay strewn on the floor or crumpled and jammed into two bulging manila folders stashed under a desk. Coins, pills, empty plastic baggies with drug res...

Officers loaded up a semi with 500 boxes all full of prescription medication. May 4, 2018 FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The Allen County Sheriff's Department made a lot of progress Thursday on getting rid of unwanted medication collected during drug take-back days over the last two years. Officers loaded up a semi with 500 boxes all full of prescriptio...

Police dispatcher has been arrested following an investigation in connection with the theft of methamphetamine placed into evidence May 4, 2018 TRINITY, TX (KTRE) - A Trinity police dispatcher has been arrested following an investigation in connection with the theft of methamphetamine placed into evidence. Johnna Brown Thompson, 42, of Lufkin, is c...

City of Kawartha Lakes Police officer facing more fraud charges in theft of seized narcotics May 4, 2018 A City of Kawartha Lakes Police officer was arrested last month after a criminal investigation into thefts of seized narcotics is now facing additional charges. Det. Const. Jeff Burke has now been charged with two more counts of fraud under $5,0...

The case went cold, but DNA evidence eventually identified Robert Burton, 48, as the suspect. May 4, 2018 DNA evidence helped Pinellas County deputies arrest a man in a 25-year-old rape case, the sheriff's office said today. According to deputies, early on Jan. 21, 1993, a 37-year-old woman was walking home from a friend's house in the 2700 block o...

Officials in Los Angeles say DNA and fingerprint evidence collected at the scene of a brutal 1977 rape and murder of a woman in front of her two young sons has led to an arrest in the case. May 4, 2018 LOS ANGELES — Officials in Los Angeles say DNA and fingerprint evidence collected at the scene of a brutal 1977 rape and murder of a woman in front ...

Montana, 26, managed to get back an AK-47 assault rifle and a Glock pistol from the Pascagoula police evidence locker, even though he had been committed months early to a state mental hospital May 2, 2018 Gulfport The Pascagoula Police Department and Municipal Court are changing their procedures to avoid another case of turning over guns to someone...

The arrest of the alleged Golden State Killer and a case currently before the court both raise questions about Fourth Amendment rights in the digital age. Enter Article DATE HERE Several years ago, the Supreme Court considered the case of Alonzo Jay King Jr. Arrested in an assault in Maryland, he ended up being charged and convicted in an unso...

While family — even Simmer's mother — long suspected Simmer, the homicide unit wasn't able to pin the killing on him until Schneider ordered tests in 2016 on a DNA sample found on Blanchard's doorknob Enter Article DATE HERE Rarely is a case tinged with so much irony. Consider: Joy Blanchard, 50, was a peace lover who loved to throw parties fo...

Locked up for more than two decades after being wrongfully convicted of a gruesome killing, and now, finally cleared by DNA evidence. May 2, 2018 BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A man wrongfully convicted of killing a woman in her southeast Baltimore home is set to receive a multi-million dollar settlement. Now, the city will pay for the botched murder case that...

Often laced into popular illicit drugs, synthetic opioids are killing more people than heroin or OxyContin. May 2, 2018 In the United States, more people are dying because of synthetic drugs like fentanyl than because of heroin or prescribed painkillers. While, to many, the opioid crisis has been synonymous with heroin and prescription pills, a rep...

There is a bill in the Senate that would require all law enforcement to test rape kits. April 30, 2018 There's a new effort in the state to fix the backlog of untested rape kits. This is coming just days after the suspected Golden State Killer was arrested. According to Joyful Heart Foundation, there are an estimated 13,000 kits currently untested ...

Visit www.endthebacklog.org April 30, 2018 Joyful Heart is leading a national campaign with an ambitious goal—to pass comprehensive rape kit reform legislation in all 50 states. Enacting Joyful Heart's six pillars is the only way to ensure that neither discretion nor resources can be used any longer as an excuse to deny sexual assault survivors the...

The killing remained unsolved for roughly four decades, but a fingerprint found at the scene and additional DNA evidence helped Los Angeles police last week capture the man they believe is responsible. Enter Article DATE HERE When a man entered Leona Davis' South Los Angeles home in 1977, he didn't seem to care that two children were staring a...

The search turned up 40 bundles of meth in a television box on the top bunk of the sleeper berth and 50 bundles on the lower mattress. April 28, 2018 CENTRALIA, Wash. (KOMO) -- Authorities in Lewis County say a search of a truck carrying Starbucks' products to Spokane this week turned up 126 pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs. Two people, th...

Police Department was damaged due to an electrical fire in the evidence room April 1. April 27, 2018 The Mountainair Police Department was damaged due to an electrical fire in the evidence room April 1. Since then the department has been operating out of the former town hall part of the building. The town is waiting for an asbestos test to come bac...

Swanson is accused of taking $25,760 from the drug enforcement unit office evidence room, April 26, 2018 Former Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Greg R. Swanson is accused of taking $25,760 from the drug enforcement unit office evidence room, according to the affidavit filed by Christopher M. Nicholson, special agent, Kansas Bureau of I...

Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — More than three decades after his trail went cold, one of California's most prolific serial killers and rapists was caught by using online genealogical sites to find a DNA match, prosecutors said Thursday. Investigators compared the DNA collected from a crime scene of th...

Enter Headline here April 26, 2018 MORRISON – A disgraced former Rock Fall Police detective will do no jail time for stealing cash from the department's evidence locker. As a result of a plea agreement, Veronica Jaramillo, 45, of Sterling, will serve 2 and a half years' probation and 6 months' house arrest. She pleaded guilty April 18 to three felo...

Washington state's rape kit backlog has advocates worried how many sexual offenders are still out on the streets. Enter Article DATE HERE A sexual assault case in Tumwater provides a glaring example of how Washington state's rape kit backlog is still having serious and devastating consequences. Tumwater police have linked 35-year-old suspect L...

Healey's promise comes amid ongoing litigation regarding the state's Amherst drug lab, which was shut down in 2013 following the arrest of former chemist Sonja Farak for stealing from the evidence locker. April 26, 2018 Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has committed to measures to guard against the kind of egregious prosecutorial miscond...

Theft of cash from the South Amboy Police Department (SAPD) evidence unit. April 26, 2018 SOUTH AMBOY, NJ—A cop who put dozens of people behind bars on drug charges is now trying hard to avoid a prison sentence of his own after getting caught stealing heroin from evidence. The suspended South Amboy detective, 40-year-old Matthew Barcheski, may well...

The state has hired a sexual-assault cold-case investigator to assist in chipping away at the state's backlog of nearly 3,500 untested rape kits. April 26, 2018 FAIRBANKS — The state has hired a sexual-assault cold-case investigator to assist in chipping away at the state's backlog of nearly 3,500 untested rape kits. Retired Alaska State Trooper Sg...

Spaulding is accused of taking more than $1,000 from the West Springfield Police Department evidence room between May 2016 and May 2017.​ April 26, 2018 SPRINGFIELD -- West Springfield Police Capt. Daniel Spaulding, suspended from the force in 2017, was arraigned Thursday in connection with the alleged theft of more than $1,000 from the department....

A Dothan police officer is on administrative leave and faces termination after allegedly possessing stolen drugs. April 17, 2018 DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) — A Dothan police officer is on administrative leave and faces termination after allegedly possessing stolen drugs. Police Chief Steve Parrish said Sergeant Johnathan Whaley was acting erratically Tues...

Enter Headline here April 26, 2018 Fake logos on 11,000 fleece jackets will be covered and donated to needy groups under a program by Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas. Seized counterfeit goods are creating jobs for people with disabilities and aid for struggling individuals under a Nassau County District Attorney program. On Tuesday, Distri...

The Golden State Killer, who was arrested on suspicion of committing four killings in Sacramento and Ventura counties, is believed to be responsible for at least 12 murders, 45 rapes and 120 home burglaries throughout California. April 24, 2018 The suspect believed to be the notorious Golden State Killer — who was wanted in a dozen murders and near...

Dee Womack, evidence control officer with the Denham Springs Police Department, receives a letter of appreciation from City Councilman Jeff Wesley April 26, 2018 DENHAM SPRINGS – A Denham Springs police officer was called to the City Council meeting on Monday under false pretenses, but there was nothing shady going on. Dee Womack, evidence control ...

"I would absolutely say, without a reasonable doubt, that this was some really shoddy recordkeeping," said Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey. Apr 24, 2018 ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - About 185 Ormond Beach Police Department investigations are affected after an audit of the evidence room found it in such disarray that the evidence custodian was fired...

32 agents were hired as part of an effort to clear the backlog that began in 2013, when the number of people who had been ordered to give up their guns but were never visited by an agent stood at 20,000. April 20, 2018 The California Department of Justice believes it will take at least four years to finish the job of seizing guns from more than 10,...

Police veteran who became addicted to pain killers following a series of surgeries has pleaded guilty to stealing OxyContin pills from a police evidence locker. April 23, 2018 A 17-year Halton Regional police veteran who became addicted to pain killers following a series of surgeries has pleaded guilty to stealing OxyContin pills from a police evid...

Prosecutors accused Swanson of stealing between $1,500 and $25,000 in cash that was seized as evidence April 21,2018 ABILENE, Kan. (AP) — A former Dickinson County sheriff's lieutenant pleaded guilty to felony theft for stealing evidence from the sheriff's office. The Salina Journal reports two other charges against 49-year-old Greg Swanson were dr...

DNA evidence from the victim's sexual assault kit (SAK), also known as a rape kit, matched to Williams. April 17, 2018 MOBILE, AL (WALA) - On April 5, 2018, 54-year-old Roderick Williams was transferred from the Baldwin County Jail to the Mobile County Metro Jail after indictments were handed down earlier this year for rape first degree and kidnapp...

Cold case investigators in Washington state have released DNA-generated composite sketches of a suspect in the unsolved slayings of a young Canadian couple three decades ago. April 21, 2018 Cold case investigators in Washington state have released DNA-generated composite sketches of a suspect in the unsolved slayings of a young Canadian couple thre...

​ April 20, 2018 GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A New York man who spent 17 years in prison for the slayings of his parents before a court overturned his conviction settled a civil case with Suffolk County for $10 million Thursday. He previously settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit against New York state for nearly $3.4 million. Martin Tankleff said he's "gr...

Enter Headline here April 20, 2018 GIBSONBURG - A Gibsonburg police officer gave himself naloxone Thursday night and was taken to the hospital by EMS after handling suspected drugs seized during a traffic stop. Police Chief Paul Whitaker said Friday that Officer Michael Senyo, 34, a 10-year veteran of the department, conducted a traffic stop on Sou...

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative provides money to states to inventory and test kits and provide resources to victims of sexual assault. Apr 19, 2018 JEFFERSON CITY — Legislators wanting to help tackle the state's backlog of sexual assault evidence kits identified money for that purpose during a Senate Appropriations Committee this week. The commi...

The case involves missing guns from evidence storage. Enter Article DATE HERE PULASKI COUNTY — A former police officer will not spend time in prison. A Pulaski County judge sentenced Ron Patrick to 18 months for obstruction of justice, but suspended it and placed him on probation. The former Pulaski County Sheriff's Deputy pleaded guilty to th...

In the course of investigating the evidence locker thefts, St. John said, "there were some rumors flying around" about officers having had sexual relations with Strizich, and when asked, she identified the three officers. April 18, 2018 Three Billings police officers who admitted having sex on city property with a civilian employee of the departmen...

Evidence pictures showed $101 in cash, which went missing. April 18, 2018 A former Winter Park police officer violated department policy when he kept sensitive evidence at his home and stole about $100 in cash from a dead man, according to an internal investigation released Wednesday. Frank Cowart, 44, also faces criminal charges after he was accus...

Marlene Warren opened the front door of her Wellington, Fla., home on the morning of May 26 nearly 27 years ago to find a clown in an orange wig and red nose, holding two foil balloons and carnations. The clown handed her the gifts, shot her in the face, and drove away in a Chrysler LeBaron convertible, authorities have said. April 16, 2018 Florida...

Consultant's report that found the Police Department failed to follow numerous evidence policy requirements that led to the mishandling of property and evidence. April 5, 2017 DRACUT -- There will be no disciplinary action for Deputy Police Chief David Chartrand and Sgt. Gregg Byam will be suspended for one day without pay over their administration...

The efforts of the Kansas Sexual Assault Kit Initiative are supported by a federal grant awarded to the KBI by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in 2016 April 11, 2018 The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) announced today that the Kansas Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has formally recommended all sexual assault k...

The system the sheriff's department is now using is called "evidence tracker" and it is provided by Progressive Microtechnology, Inc. (PMI); a company that designs custom inventory and asset management systems that incorporate barcoding for use by police departments to help keep track of evidence. Enter Article DATE HERE Logan County Sheriff W...

"I retired because I was being forced out of my career by a vindictive, politically motivated attempt to blame me for the crimes committed by a former evidence custodian under my supervision," Burns said in the statement. April 13, 2018 OGDEN — A former senior deputy says he was made a scapegoat and forced to retire amid an investigation into drug ...

Public Integrity Bureau investigators noticed that a box of .40-caliber ammunition from the Peace Court scene had never been logged into evidence. Enter Article DATE HERE Olander Holloway paused to wipe away tears as she sat facing the disgraced ex-cop whose botched response to a domestic violence incident may have contributed to the death of ...