Evidence allegedly destroyed by officers at police precinct during George Floyd protest threatens to derail drug case

A Minnesota judge is considering whether to drop charges against an alleged drug dealer after his lawyer claimed Minneapolis law enforcement officers destroyed critical evidence in a panic prompted by a blaze and takeover of another police department during a 2020 protest over the murder of George Floyd. August 26, 2021 A Minnesota judge is co...

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Man, 84, convicted in 1976 ‘cold case’ homicides

DNA doesn't lie. It's a scientific fact. July 27, 2021 MARINETTE, Wis. — A jury Tuesday took only two hours to convict an 84-year-old man of murdering a Green Bay, Wis., couple at a campground in Marinette County more than four decades ago. After a nine-day trial in Marinette County Circuit Court, Raymand Vannieuwenhoven was found guilty on both co...

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Former Altoona police officer pleads guilty to stealing pills from police evidence lockers

On at least two occasions he switched seized pills being held as evidence with over-the-counter medication, writing false documentation for the seizures. Enter Article DATE HERE A former Altoona police officer has pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of pills from police evidence lockers and possession of methamphetamine. Joshua Cope...

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New Illinois law provides sexual assault survivors the ability to track the progress of their rape kit processing

While the tracking system won't tell them the results of their tests, they'll know the date it was started or completed. July 1, 2021 ROCKFORD (WREX) — When a person is sexually assaulted, advocates say it takes an incredibly amount of courage for them to come forward. "It is definitely one of the most frightening times, it's the most vulnerable ti...

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Trooper exposed to fentanyl in traffic stop saved by suspect’s Narcan, reports state

The dose belonged to the suspect who also allegedly owned the illicit drug the trooper had been exposed to. June 24, 2021 KAWKAWLIN, MI — When a Michigan State Police trooper began feeling the effects of a narcotics overdose during a traffic stop, a quick dose of Narcan kept the worst at bay. The dose belonged to the suspect who also allegedly owne...

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Suspect charged in 25 year old cold case murder of Beaumont teacher now jailed in Jefferson County

Investigators say DNA links Foreman to the killing. June 16, 2021 JEFFERSON COUNTY — Clayton B. Foreman, 61, is now in the Jefferson County Jail after he was extradited from Ohio and brought back to face a murder charged in the cold case killing of a Beaumont teacher more than 25 years ago. He was brought back Tuesday. Foreman had been held in Fran...

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Former-st-francois-county-police-chief-sentenced-to-probation-in-case-of-missing-drug-evidence


Washburn admitted to taking the methamphetamine evidence from the locker and ingesting it. June 8, 2021 The former police chief of Iron Mountain Lake was sentenced last week to probation on five charges related to a police pursuit outside of his jurisdiction that led to the discovery of missing drug evidence from his department. John Washburn, 52, ...

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Genetic genealogy leads to arrest in 1972 murder of teen girl

Police identified the suspect through his DNA left at the crime scene, using genetic genealogy June 5, 2021 Nearly a half-century after a teenage girl was viciously stabbed to death in a Chicago suburb, genetic genealogy has led to an arrest. Barry Lee Whelpley, 76, was arrested Wednesday at his home in Minnesota for the 1972 murder of Julie Ann Ha...

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Otter Tail County deputy to plead guilty to being on drugs during deadly chase

Backman reported finding drug-related items during his work as a narcotics officer, but some items were not logged into evidence, May 25, 2021 FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — An Otter Tail County Sheriff's deputy will plead guilty to a misconduct charge that says he was on drugs during a deadly vehicle pursuit last year in Fergus Falls, Minn. Kelly Douglas B...

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Rifle reunion: Jefferson County Sheriff’s office returns rifle stolen more than 40 years ago

"It's really crazy I never thought I'd see the gun again ever. May 31, 2021 ST. LOUIS — More than 4 decades ago, someone stole Clyde Smith's .30-06 hunting rifle. On Thursday, Smith got it back.It was stolen in 1974 from his Jefferson County home. "It's really crazy I never thought I'd see the gun again ever. We had gone on vacation to Table Rock L...

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DNA cold case: Kansas ex-con charged in unsolved 1979 murder of Colorado woman

"Investigators collected several pieces of evidence in 1979, including the killer's DNA from semen found inside Day's body". March 29, 2021 GREELEY, Colo. — A Kansas man with a lengthy rap sheet has been charged with murder in the 41-year-old slaying of a Colorado college worker found sexually assaulted and strangled in her car. James Herman Dye, 6...

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Charges: Narcotics investigator tested positive for fentanyl on the job

Backman did not log some seized drug paraphernalia into evidence February 24, 2021 (FOX 9) - Charges say a narcotics investigator from Fergus Falls, Minnesota was under the influence of fentanyl while driving a squad car. Otter Tail County Sheriff's Deputy Kelly Backman, 43, was charged with one count of fourth-degree DWI and one count of public of...

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Pulaski deputy detective suspended

Suspension happened after an audit of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department evidence room February 25, 2021 Feb. 25—The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department has suspended a deputy, Detective Jason Woodruff, pending a review by the merit board, according to a press release from the department. Woodruff's suspension happened after an audit of the Pu...

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Ex-Hazel Park detective charged with embezzling over $65,000

Enter Headline here February 16, 2021 A former Hazel Park police detective who resigned from the department more than three years ago, is facing embezzlement and other charges after authorities say he siphoned more than $65,000 in asset forfeiture funds from the department. Sean Boucher, 45, of Warren turned himself Wednesday to Michigan State Poli...

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Sheriff makes push to return items to owners

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has started a campaign to encourage people to reclaim lost or stolen items that have been recovered. Enter Article DATE HERE The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has started a campaign to encourage people to reclaim lost or stolen items that have been recovered. Through the initiative, called "Found Prope...

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California Police Department hit with misconduct allegations

California Police Department hit with misconduct allegations. After noticing some concerning habits in the California Police Department's evidence handling process and the integrity of its leadership, a group of officers say they tried to escalate their concerns about the department's operations to their leaders in the agency and the city of Califo...

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Former Harrison County Sheriff Deputy charged with felony of tampering with physical evidence

Lawson is accused of destroying the original evidence log with the purpose to impair or obstruct investigations related to public corruption, felony tampering, and/or felony distribution of a controlled substance. January 14, 2021 A former Harrison County Sheriff Deputy has been charged with two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence in ...

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DNA connects St. Louis man to cold cases in Arizona, more victims possible

Lance David Ray was arrested and charged with crimes from 20 years ago. He's accused of killing a man and kidnapping and sexually assaulting two teens at gunpoint December 29, 2020 ST. LOUIS — A man who most recently lived in St. Louis has been arrested and charged in several cold case crimes – including murder – from 20 years ago in Arizona. And i...

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Omaha Police are working through 1,700 untested rape kits in effort to solve cold cases

OPD received a $1.9 million federal grant two years ago to help solve these cases December 11, 2020 OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Omaha Police Department has sent roughly a third of its untested rape kits to the lab so far. However as 6 News learned Friday, the results of these tests are just the beginning to come in. "The biggest challenge is actually ...

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Ex-Plymouth County deputy pleads not guilty to stealing drugs

Leusink is accused of taking the drugs from homes while enforcing search warrants, stealing pills that had been collected December 1, 2020 E MARS, Iowa -- A former Plymouth County Sheriff's deputy has pleaded not guilty to stealing prescription medications from homes and the department's evidence room. Aaron Leusink, 41, of Le Mars, entered his wri...

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Iowa audit: Problems with sheriff's evidence room integrity

49 pills of both over-the-counter and prescription antipsychotic medications and of unknown substances missing from the evidence room Enter Article DATE HERE LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A new report confirmed problems with the integrity of the evidence room of the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office in northwestern Iowa, according to the Iowa State Audi...

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Ex-Minneapolis officer indicted in drug theft, extortion case

Charges allege Jindra in one case confiscated heroin and meth during a reported drug overdose call, and pocketed the drugs instead of bringing them to the police evidence room November 06, 2020 A former Minneapolis police officer has been indicted on 11 counts related to abusing his position as a street cop to steal drugs, including meth, hero...

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Officer accuses East Cleveland Police sergeant of attempting to steal drugs seized as evidence (video)

We set up his body camera to watch us as we did the evidence," the officer told an investigator during the internal affairs investigation November 2, 2020 By Hannah Catlett | November 2, 2020 at 9:02 PM EST - Updated November 2 at 9:10 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - An East Cleveland Police supervisor is accused, by one of his officers, of attempting ...

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DNA leads to arrest in Wisconsin woman's 34-year-old cold case murder

When presented with the DNA evidence, Lou Griffin stated that he must have had sex with her (Holstead) but he never killed (Holstead) October 31, 2020 A Wisconsin man has been arrested in the cold case rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman 34 years ago. Investigators said the victim, Lisa Holstead, and the man now charged with her murder in 1986 w...

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Former deputy charged with six felonies


Other items retrieved included multiple evidence bags from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office which were either ripped open or left unsealed September 24, 2020 PLYMOUTH CO. — A total of 11 charges, including six felonies, were filed into the Iowa District Court for Plymouth County against former Plymouth County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Leusink, on ...

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IML police chief arrested, charged with stealing drug evidence, false impersonation

admitted to taking the methamphetamine evidence from the locker and ingesting it September 21, 2020 The police chief of Iron Mountain Lake has been arrested and faces felony charges this week following an alleged police pursuit outside of his jurisdiction that reportedly led to the discovery of missing drug evidence at the Iron Mountain Lake Police...

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Watseka Police Chief Douglas ISP Investigation - Search Warrants Issued For Officer's Bank Records - "If No One Cooperated This Will All Go Away"

Do you condone members of your police department refusing to cooperate with a criminal investigation regarding missing evidence? Enter Article DATE HERE The Watseka Police Chief Jeremy Douglas is tangled in a web of actions that raise numerous concerns for the rule of law in Watseka. The fact he is still the Police Chief makes us wonder what t...

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Attorney general announces DNA "hits" from rape kit testing effort

Of 16 kits that were uploaded to CODIS, the national DNA database of prior offenders, 11 generated matches. September 9, 2020 An ongoing initiative to process untested sexual assault kits in Missouri has produced 11 matches to DNA profiles of known criminal offenders, according to a Wednesday news release from Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt...

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Clifton PD returns U.S. Navy Captain's sword seized in 2008 as a result of an arrest


During the audit, numerous items of stored evidence were able to be disposed of or returned to the owner. September 1, 2020 CLIFTON, TX — An audit of the Clifton Police Department evidence room lead to the return of a sword that was seized in 2008 as a result of an arrest. The department says the audit was conducted recently. During the audit, nume...

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Auburn police officers disciplined

McCoy said he does not believe the weapons were stolen from the evidence room, but rather that their destruction by the department was not properly documented August 27, 2020 AUBURN — Two Auburn police officers were handed unpaid suspensions Thursday after an internal investigation involving cash and weapons missing from the department's evidence r...

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Auburn Police chief resigns over reported internal theft

McCoy said his resignation was the fallout from an incident involving evidence stolen from the police department's evidence room August 28, 2020 AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) — The longtime chief of the Auburn Police Department has resigned amid an ongoing criminal investigation. Chief Martin McCoy submitted his resignation during Thursday's Board of Public ...

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Auburn police missing cash evidence (Indiana)

  "I'm p—-ed off," McCoy said. "I am upset. You don't expect this from a police department. I wouldn't have guessed this would happen in a thousand years." August 6, 2020 AUBURN — Cash and weapons are missing from the Auburn Police Department evidence room, Police Chief Martin McCoy said in a news conference Tuesday at Auburn City Hall Council...

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Awarded $20M for a wrongful conviction, exonerated man gives back


Juan Rivera is a $20 million man, receiving the money in a settlement for the 20 years he spent in prison before DNA evidence cleared him. October 17, 2017 CHICAGO (WLS) -- Juan Rivera is a $20 million man, receiving the money in a settlement for the 20 years he spent in prison before DNA evidence cleared him. Rivera invited ABC 7 Eyewitness News t...

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DNA, Public Genealogy Databases Lead To Arrest In 1986 Chisholm Cold Case


"This is the day Nancy Daugherty's family and all of Chisholm have waited for, for over 34 years. Enter Article DATE HERE CHISHOLM, Minn. – Three decades since the rape and murder of Nancy Daugherty in the close-knit city of Chisholm, a 52-year-old man, Michael Carbo Jr., living in that very community was arrested for the crime Wednesday on pr...

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Video Footage May Indicate Police Evidence Was Compromised In Laurie

Evidence Room July 25, 2020 New video footage obtained by KRMS News might show that police evidence was compromised in the City of Laurie. The video was taken during an investigation of former police chief Mark Black and former assistant police chief Angela Nickerson, both suspended at the time. The video shows Laurie Mayor Alan Kimberling, and oth...

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Former Mansfield trooper acquitted of tampering, theft charges

Brooks was indicted by a Richland County grand jury on two counts of tampering with evidence July 17, 2020 MANSFIELD - A former trooper with the Mansfield post of the Ohio Highway Patrol was acquitted of all charges related to missing drug evidence on Thursday in Richland County Common Pleas Court. Preston Brooks, 32, of Arlington, was indicted on ...

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Former Des Moines County chief deputy charged with theft

Investigators photographed the evidence room shelves, which did not have surveillance cameras, after the call out of concern that White may try to sneak the drone into the equipment room. July 7, 2020 DES MOINES, Co., Iowa (KWQC) - A former Des Moines County Sheriff's chief deputy accused of making improper purchases is now facing a felony theft ch...

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2 Sheriff's Employees Charged in Case of Missing Evidence

1 Authorities in Kansas say two former Sedgwick County Sheriff's employees have been arrested and charged with theft and other counts after an audit uncovered nearly $150,000 missing from evidence  July 2, 2020 WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two former Sedgwick County Sheriff's employees have been arrested and charged with theft and other counts, author...

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Nearly 1,000 Pounds Of Fireworks Seized From Homes In Aurora, Elgin

Where do i put it? July 1, 2020 CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Kane County Sheriff is responding to numerous complaints about illegal fireworks and has made arrests and seized about a 1,000 pounds of fireworks from homes in Aurora and Elgin. Three people have been arrested and charges are pending. Sheriff Ron Haine said they had what looked like r...

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Arrest made after guns, $145,000 cash, drugs stolen from Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence

he employee was being investigated for not following proper procedures and policy violations June 30, 2020 WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office has arrested the former Property and Evidence Supervisor on several charges connected to cash, drugs stolen from Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence. Robert White was...

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Ohio police say cold case murder of 8-year-old girl solved with DNA, genetic genealogy

Cold case murder of Kelly Ann Prosser was solved using DNA and genetic genealogy June 26, 2020 An 8-year-old Ohio girl was raped and killed nearly 38 years ago by a convicted pedophile who has been dead for more than two decades, police said Friday. The cold case murder of Kelly Ann Prosser was solved using DNA and genetic genealogy, Columbus polic...

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What it can cost to get arrested at a protest

When he was finally released, the police didn't give him back any of his things — not his wallet with his bank cards and ID, not his phone, not his house keys or car keys. Instead, they kept them as evidence and sent them to the property room. June 11, 2020  When he was finally released, the police didn't give him back any of his things — not ...

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$145K cash, guns stolen from Kan. sheriff's evidence storage

We know that approximately $145,000 in money, drugs, seven guns, and power tools were stolen Enter Article DATE HERE SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office is the victim of an internal theft at their Property and Evidence storage site, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. An ongoing criminal investigation was initiated and began on...

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Paoli officer charged, pleads guilty in missing evidence investigation

Phillips was alleged to have taken items of evidence to his home and never placed them into evidence May 28, 2020 PAOLI, Ind. — Officials with Indiana State Police say a Paoli officer has been charged with conversion four months after an investigation. It dates to January when Chief Randall Sanders of the Paoli Police Department requested ISP to in...

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67-year-old man arrested for Cuyahoga Falls cold case murder from more than 30 years ago


"The Cuyahoga Falls Police have never given up on this case, it's one that they've worked on tirelessly since 1987, they just didn't have the tools to catch him until now." May 28, 2020 Blatnik Cold Case By: Courtney Shaw , Joe Pagonakis Posted at 4:29 PM, May 06, 2020 and last updated 8:30 PM, May 06, 2020 CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — After more than 30...

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Hundreds of pounds of drugs, paraphernalia destroyed from Eden Prairie evidence room

680 pounds of drugs and drug paraphernalia to be incinerated May 19, 2020 On May 5, the Eden Prairie Police Department's evidence technician and a supervisor took a road trip to a waste management facility in Alexandria where they delivered 680 pounds of drugs and drug paraphernalia to be incinerated. The items transported were once evidence for ca...

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Missing weapons not missing?

Firearms and a machete reported missing two months ago from an evidence room at the Sandusky County Courthouse have been found, or never were missing, or something. May 15, 2020 FREMONT — Firearms and a machete reported missing two months ago from an evidence room at the Sandusky County Courthouse have been found, or never were missing, or somethin...

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Arrest Made in 1987 Cold Case Murder of Barbara Blatnik Thanks to Genetic Genealogy


Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that provides assistance to families of the missing and murdered in Ohio, paid for DNA testing May 7, 2020 Cuyahoga Falls police today announced the arrest of 67-year-old James Zastawnik of Cleveland for the December 1987 murder of Barbara Blatnik. Blatnik was just 17 when her nude, strangled body was found near Blos...

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Delaware County cold case homicide from 1983 solved with help of DNA database

Detectives used Parabon Nanolabs, a DNA/genealogical database April 29, 2020 DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) – Detectives with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office say they've solved a homicide from 1983. On October 16, 1983 the body of 15-year-old John Anthony Muncy was found by a deputy along the side of the road in northern Delaware County. Investi...

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SEMO professor, students identify remains found on Charleston farm in 1979

The identification was recently made through the combined efforts of Southeast anthropology professors and students, genetic and forensic experts, DNA studies and advances in technology. April 25, 2020 After more than 40 years, an identification has been made in a cold case involving burned, unidentified human remains recovered on a farm near Charl...

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