Sheriff says county lost evidence in son's case

An investigation into the possibility the materials were lost or stolen after they were subpoenaed by the board's Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee September 30m 2020 Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. has requested an investigation into the Otsego County Attorney's Office, alleging it has withheld or lost material related to the 2017...

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DNA on beer can leads to arrest in North Palm Beach cold-case murder

In 2019, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office DNA lab was able to get a match from the lip of the beer can. August 14, 2020 Leo Beauregard was found dead June 29, 1990, in his North Palm Beach apartment. More than 30 years later, village police say they know a man who may have been involved in his murder. NORTH PALM BEACH — When police went into ...

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Arrested in cold case murder that took place while he was on force (DNA)


July 4, 2020 A Florida man has been accused of killing a convenience store owner 21 years ago in a home invasion robbery that took place when the suspect was working as a detective for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and knew the victim from surveilling him for a drug investigation. William Robert Baer Jr., 64, and his ex-wife Melissa Schafer, 50...

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Florida Keys murder cold case from 1991 solved, sheriff says

DNA was recently compared to DNA from the Tarrant County, Texas, scene where he was killed and determined to be a match. June 17, 2020 MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – It became known as the "Valentine Jane Doe Homicide" and was chronicled on "Unsolved Mysteries" and other shows. Three decades later, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office says it has cracked the ...

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42-Year Old Cold Case Murder Solved; Real Estate Agent’s Body Was Found At Cantonment Home

DNA evidence was collected on scene, but lack of technology made it impossible to use for an arrest. June 11, 2020 On April 7, 1978, the body of 47-year-old Carolyn Cox Rose was discovered in a house in the Pine Forest Hills subdivision off Highway 297A. Rose, who was vice president of Better Homes Realty, received a call to show the empty home. Wh...

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Council Meeting Erupts Over Evidence Room Policies

Outraged to learn that despite a recent evidence room scandal, the BPD was storing evidence in a room adjacent to the city auditorium. May 18, 2020 BRADENTON — Tensions erupted during Wednesday's Bradenton City Council meeting when the council returned to the subject of a proposed charter referendum to remove mayoral oversight of the city's police ...

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Lost ashes in vacant Bradenton lot were a mystery. Sheriff’s employee solved it

Sheriff Rick Wells did the honor in presenting the award to Kaczmarek. March 26, 2020 Manatee When Renee Kaczmarek left her position at the Manatee County jail two years ago to serve as a property and evidence processor for the sheriff's office, she didn't realize the surprises her new job would throw her way. After all, what could one possibly see...

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DNA evidence on discarded cigarette leads Florida authorities to killer in decades-old cold case

  Daniel Wells was arrested on Wednesday and charged with sexual battery and the murder of 23-year-old Tonya McKinley, who was found dead on New Year's Day 35 years ago. March 20, 2020 The DNA evidence found on a discarded cigarette has allowed authorities in Florida to arrest the suspected killer in a decades-old cold case. Daniel Wells was a...

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Florida police make arrest in 35-year-old cold case homicide using familial DNA

DNA sample obtained from the scene of the crime through an open-source genealogy database and identified several different people believed to be distant cousins of the suspect. March 22, 2020 PENSACOLA, Fla. – Tonya Ethridge McKinley was 23 years old and had an 18-month-old son waiting for her at home when she was killed in the early-morning hours ...

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Sarasota Sheriff apologizes for destroying evidence in sexual assault, attempted murder cases

Prosecutors dropped charges; the suspect was recently sentenced to 25 years for a separate crime. March 19, 2020 SARASOTA — An antiquated policy led a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office lieutenant to destroy DNA evidence in two unsolved felony cases in the mid-2000s to make room in evidence storage, Sheriff Tom Knight said in a candid admission Wedne...

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Pensacola Police HQ temporarily locked down after officers possibly exposed to fentanyl

Pensacola Police Headquarters is currently on lockdown March 10, 2020 PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) – Pensacola Public Information Officer Mike Wood said three officers were working in an evidence room when one officer became lightheaded. He said the officers may have been exposed to fentanyl. All three officers were taken to the hospital, and the lobby o...

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Margate cop fired after cocaine went missing

Investigators determined nothing had been turned into the agency's property evidence room. January 11, 2020 A Margate police officer has been fired after falling under suspicion of taking a man's cocaine and later testing positive for drugs, according to newly released police records. An anonymous police employee tipped off the police department ab...

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Arrest made in 2005 cold case murder of 79-year-old woman in Pasco County

He lived about two blocks away from Bobrick and was tied to these crimes with a few key pieces of evidence; including one of his hairs found in her home. December 27, 2019 ASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A more than 14-year-old cold case murder investigation was heating up in Pasco County on Friday. Brian Stoll, 34, was arrested and accused of beating to death...

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Hollywood Police Department says missing evidence a thing of the past

"We believe the practices we have in place will prevent any problems in the future," November 20, 2019 When Hollywood police failed to keep track of their evidence room — losing $137,609 in cash and 1,096 pills — they got a sharp rebuke from a county watchdog agency for not catching the colossal error. The missing evidence cost the police departmen...

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EDITORIAL: Is there better way to return stolen property?

How much work should police do to return stolen merchandise to the rightful owner? September 7, 2019 OUR POSITION: Perhaps a better policy could be hammered out on how to return stolen property to victims. Experiencing a theft is surely an unpleasant, sometimes scary and always inconvenient event. But, having your property recovered and not being a...

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Florida Man Dubbed the 'Diaper Bandit' Arrested After Repeatedly Trying to Steal Diapers From Local Stores

Police seized 800 boxes of diapers. July 26, 2019 man accused of repeatedly stealing diapers from stores across Florida for several years has been arrested again. Vincent Pirozzi, 27, also known as the "Diaper Bandit" was arrested by West Palm Beach Police Department after allegedly stealing the items. "The 'diaper bandit' was captured again, but t...

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FDLE says Florida’s rape kit backlog cleared “for all intents and purposes"

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it has cleared a backlog of nearly 13,000 untested rape kits. July 5, 2019 Cute and Paste Content Here FDLE says Florida’s rape kit backlog cleared “for all intents and purposes" | wtsp.com In July 2015, 10Investigates exposed evidence collected from sexual assault victims had gone unprocessed for...

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Final firefighter exposed to fentanyl released from hospital

During treatment, the fire crew became exposed to a powdered substance and had to be transported to the hospital for examination. July 1, 2019 The Cape Coral firefighters who were exposed to fentanyl on Tuesday were cleared to return to work. The incident happened on Tuesday, when four Cape Coral firefighters were exposed to lethal opioid, fentanyl...

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Seminole Grand Jury issues indictment in 1986 cold case homicide

Detectives said they were able to match crime scene evidence to Emitt's DNA, through a national data base. June 14, 2019 LAKE MARY, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - An over three-decades-long homicide cold case out of Florida has been put to rest, after authorities said DNA evidence recently led investigators to a suspect in Tennessee. The Seminole County S...

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Tampa police chief says fired officers 'embarrassed' the department

The chief said there was no evidence the officers were using, selling, or planting the drugs, June 11, 2019 TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Disgraced Tampa police officer Mark Landry was fired Thursday for what the chief of police called "egregious actions. " Officers John Laratta and Algenius Maceo were fired, too. Chief Brian Dugan did not hide his anger ...

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Deputy revived by Narcan after exposure to fentanyl

Florida sheriff deputy revived with Narcan, 3 others recovering after exposure to drugs May 8, 2019 A traffic stop in Florida came close to being deadly. A Florida sheriff's deputy was revived with Narcan and at least one firefighter was given the overdose reversal drug on Tuesday after exposure to what officials believe to be fentanyl during a tra...

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Pamela Cahanes cold case: DNA match leads to arrest in Navy grad's killing — 34 years later (Public Database)

Using a public database, he said, investigators matched DNA found on Cahanes' body to Thomas Lewis Garner, a 59-year-old dental hygienist from Jacksonville. March 14, 2019 In the summer of 1984, Pamela Cahanes' body was found in an overgrown lot in unincorporated Sanford. The 25-year-old had graduated from boot camp at the Orlando Naval Training Ce...

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Ex-Bartow PD employee Stacey Lee Schaufler accused of stealing cash seized, stored as evidence

Bartow Police Department detectives arrested Stacey Lee Schaufler of Eagle Lake after it was discovered that money was missing from department evidence envelopes, and computer records had been altered, according to the BPD. March 6, 2019 BARTOW — A former Bartow Police Department evidence custodian is being accused of stealing cash seized by the de...

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West Palm Beach officer arrested; accused of stealing cash from suspect


Officer was arrested  and is facing charges of grand theft, official misconduct, and possession of a controlled substance.​ December 1, 2018 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A West Palm Beach Police officer is accused of stealing more than $1,000 from a suspect she arrested in October. Officer Nicole Palladino was arrested Thursday and is facing charge...

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Cold case murder: ECSO makes arrest in 2010 homicide after tip from prison inmate


The case file on the shooting contains Florida Department of Law Enforcement documents that link a DNA profile matching Sangster to swabs of the interior of the vehicle in which Allen was found, according to the report. Enter Article DATE HERE Two men argued in a vehicle. A gun went off. Then the passenger pushed the victim's body aside and to...

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Miami Police Employees Fired for Taking Items From Storage Units


This was police 'property' that was slated to be destroyed," - "no actual case evidence was tainted or stolen" September 12, 2018 Two civilian employees of the Miami Police Department were quietly fired this week after they were caught taking police "property" from storage lockers and placing it inside their own cars, a Miami Police spokesperson co...

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Former Century Correctional Officer Sentenced For Stealing Drugs From Evidence Locker investigators determined that "K-2″ taken from an inmate was missing from the evidence locker.


Enter Headline here August 24, 2018 Joshua Vann Harrell, 26, pleaded no contest to grand theft of a controlled substance and destroying evidence. He was sentenced to five days in the county jail and 36 months probation for stealing "K2″ synthetic marijuana from an evidence locker. Officers reported finding a chain of custody form on the seat of the...

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Why does Tampa’s police station smell so much like weed?


The pungent odor that sometimes hangs in the lobby of the Tampa Police Department headquarters August 16, 2018 TAMPA — For the uninitiated, the pungent odor that sometimes hangs in the lobby of the Tampa Police Department headquarters likely goes unidentified. For those with experienced noses, however, the skunky aroma at One Police Center has an u...

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Man arrested in connection to Miami cold case murder


As the years went by and scientific advancements were developed in DNA analysis, a DNA profile of the suspect, August 16, 2018 MIAMI (CBS12) — A 50-year-old man was arrested in connection to a cold case murder from 1990, Miami-Dade police said. Lucio Leon, of Hialeah, was shot and killed Mar. 2, 1990 while walking near his restaurant, "Tuyo y Mio" ...

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Crime scene tech suspended for misplacing evidence in at least nine cases


A veteran Miami Beach crime scene technician was suspended with pay last week as investigators sift through dozens of past cases to find out whether they've been tainted. July 22, 2018 A veteran Miami Beach crime scene technician was suspended with pay last week as investigators sift through dozens of past cases to find out whether they've been tai...

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DNA evidence leads to arrest in more than 30-year-old rape case in St. Pete


DNA evidence led investigators to an arrest in a St. Pete rape case from 1986. June 15, 2018 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — 9AM JUNE 16 UPDATE | A Pinellas County judge set a $250,000 bond Saturday for Anthony Stokes, who was arrested Friday for a 1986 rape in St. Petersburg. At a first appearance Saturday morning, the judge also said should Stokes bond ou...

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Sheriff’s Potentially Sick Building Testing Done in 1 Day, Results Not Expected Until July


There was [an] evidence room deputy who had breathing problems while working in that room. June 22, 2018 The scientist Flagler County government hired to further and more broadly analyze air, soil ceiling and wall samples at the Sheriff's potentially sick Operations Center in Bunnell told the county today the gathering of samples was completed in o...

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Florida man drops meth off at sheriff's office for testing after suffering 'bad reaction,' police say

"The suspect said he believed because of the 'violent reaction' he had after smoking the drug, he was sold the wrong narcotic" June 14, 2018 A Florida man was arrested this week after asking a sheriff's office to test his drugs, authorities said. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said Douglas Peter Kelly, 49, of Hawthorne, told officers he suffere...

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Woman charged with stealing drugs from Okaloosa County Sheriffs

"This situation came to light through routine procedures, spot checks, and internal controls, August 29, 2917 OKALOOSA CO. (WTVY) — The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office today charged an OCSO civilian employee with grand theft of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. 40-year old Deidra Rezzarday, a P...

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Century CI officer arrested for allegedly stealing drugs from evidence locker

Other officers allegedly found a chain of custody form and an evidence bag with a broken seal in a trash can near Harrell's post. Enter Article DATE HERE A Century Correctional Institution officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing drugs from an evidence locker. Joshua Harrell, 26, reportedly went into the prison's work camp evidence sto...

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Flood of Trouble: Hollywood Police evidence vault flooded with sewage, are criminal cases at risk?

An internal police memo says "over 1,200 items had to be removed from the vault and dried." MAY 19, 2018 (WSVN) - A sewage leak inside a South Florida police department left evidence — soaked. The question now: could it sink pending criminal cases? 7's Brian Entin investigates in our special report called "Flood of Trouble." Evidence laid out all o...

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OBPD Evidence Custodian fired after internal investigation uncovered 185 discrepancies in evidence

The evidence custodian admitted to smashing drug paraphernalia with a hammer. May 7, 2018 Following a five-month investigation over 185 discrepancies in the Ormond Beach Police Department's evidence department, one employee has been fired and two others recommended for counsel, said Police Chief Jesse Godfrey during a press conference on Tuesday, A...

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DNA LEADS TO ARREST OF MAN IN 1993 ST. PETE RAPE

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...

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Ormond Beach evidence custodian fired after audit finds discrepancies in 185 cases


"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...

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DNA ties 'killer clown' to getaway car in 27-year-old cold case, prosecutors say

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...

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Ex-Winter Park cop kept evidence at home and stole from dead man, investigation concludes

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...

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Doorbell DNA leads deputies to suspected Florida burglar

Officials said that before Braun allegedly broke into the home, he rang the front doorbell — without any gloves on — to see if anyone was home. March 30, 2018 Deputies in Florida were able to nab a suspect in a months-old robbery case after his DNA was found on the front doorbell of the house he allegedly robbed. Jason Braun, 41, of Edgewater, was ...

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Ex-police officer sentenced for stealing more than $310K

Brady had been hired in August 2010 as the department's forfeiture coordinator February 6, 2018 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former police officer who confessed to stealing more than $310,000 in cash from his department has been sentenced to one year and four months in prison. The Sun Sentinel of South Florida reports 34-year-old Gerard Anthony B...

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Miami Police Blame Massive Rape-Kit Backlog on Bad Equipment, Ask for Upgrades

Now, in an attempt to clear out the shameful number of untested kits, the City of Miami is asking the U.S. Department of Justice for $264,263 to help MPD better organize itself and actually handle sex-crime cases February 2, 2018 As of 2015, the Miami Police Department reported in a statewide audit that a whopping 2,243 rape and sexual-assault kits...

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5,000 rape kits result in 1,300 DNA "hits" in Florida

Attorney General Pam Bondi says the state is ahead of pace in reaching its goal of processing all 86 hundred backlogged kits by June, 2019. December 28, 2018 TALLAHASSEE, FL (WWSB) - Nearly 5,600 previously unprocessed sexual assault kits have now been tested, according to new statistics released by the attorney general's office. "Our goal is to he...

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The cocaine was meant to train drug-sniffing dogs. But this cop had other ideas, police say

"It is believed that Adams ingested the cocaine," prosecutors said in a statement.A kilogram of cocaine, about 2.2 pounds, is worth between $26,000 and $28,000 December 1, 2017 There might be some drug-sniffing dogs in New Jersey that are less familiar with cocaine than one would hope. A New Jersey sheriff's officer has pleaded guilty to official m...

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DeLand officer fired, 2 others disciplined over missing meth

A DeLand police officer was fired, another suspended without pay and a third reprimanded this month after they lost methamphetamine collected as evidence November 28, 2018 A DeLand police officer was fired, another suspended without pay and a third reprimanded this month after they lost methamphetamine collected as evidence at a home over the summe...

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Man arrested in Sanford had fentanyl disguised as candy, police say

The suspected fentanyl were in the shape of square multi-color pills and resembled children's vitamins and candy, police said. November 28, 2018 SANFORD, Fla. — A Sanford man was arrested Monday after police said he was found in possession of fentanyl pills that were designed to look like children's vitamins or candy. Floyd Aiken, who had an active...

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Florida Cop Stole Drugs From Dying Man’s Home After Hurricane Irma

A little over an hour after paramedics took a dying Boynton Beach, Florida man to the hospital, Palm Beach County Deputy Jason Cooke was caught rifling through the man's cabinets and drawers, according to a probable cause affidavit. October 28, 2018 A sheriff's deputy swooped into a senior citizen's house after paramedics were called — and was caug...

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Florida Man Awarded $37,500 After Cops Mistake Glazed Doughnut Crumbs For Meth

Rushing was booked on charges of possessing methamphetamine while armed with a weapon. Enter Article DATE HERE It sounds like a joke, but, well — keep reading. In December 2015, 64-year-old Daniel Rushing had just dropped off a friend at chemotherapy and was driving home an older woman from his church who worked at the 7-Eleven and would other...

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