DNA tech breaks Florida killer clown cold-case, leads to woman’s arrest 27 years later

Authorities tracked down witnesses, re-interviewed them and examined evidence using DNA technology not available in 1990​ September 27, 2017 (CNN) — Marlene Warren was finishing breakfast with her son and his friends on May 26, 1990, when a white Chrysler LeBaron pulled into the driveway of her home outside West Palm Beach, Florida. Someone dressed...

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Skeletal remains found in septic tank ID'd as woman who vanished in 2004 (DNA)

The remains, which were found on July 26 in a tank in Weslaco, were positively identified as Johnson through DNA, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office. September 27, 2017 HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas -- Skeletal remains discovered in a southern Texas septic tank have been identified as a woman reported missing more than a decade ago, reports C...

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Evidence in several criminal cases destroyed by Harvey

That water also flooded the property room, which contained 15,000 pieces of evidence September 27, 207 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We know the havoc Harvey wreaked on the court system here in Harris County, but it also did a number on evidence in a handful of criminal cases. The Courthouse Annex on Cypresswood in northwest Harris County flooded in Harvey's t...

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2003 Hits

Police announce arrest in Palm Desert 1993 cold case murder


Remains were identified more than two decades later through DNA September 27, 2017 PALM DESERT, Calif. - A Northern California man is awaiting trial on charges of murdering another man's romantic rival from Palm Desert, whose remains were identified more than two decades later through DNA, which was also used to link the accused killer-for-hire to ...

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2015 Hits

Ex-Smith County deputy accused of stealing drugs from evidence room

Marshall, who is from Gordonsville, is being held at the Smith County Jail on $10,000 bond September 27, 2017 CARTHAGE, TN (WSMV) - A former Smith County deputy is now facing charges after allegedly stealing drugs from the sheriff department's evidence room. Brandon McKae Marshall is charged with two counts of official misconduct, two counts of the...

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Deputy accused of theft had not booked items into property room for months

Deputy is accused of stealing from people he arrested Deptember 25, 2017 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Court records reveal new details in a case where a Kern County sheriff's deputy is accused of stealing from people he arrested. Deputy Edward Bermudez -- who is out on bail -- made his first court appearance at the beginning of September and pleaded not g...

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Charge stands in Framingham police evidence room case


The former supervisor of the police department's evidence room remains on track to face trial on two felony charges after a judge refused to dismiss allegations he abused his position for personal gain. Enter Article DATE HERE Middlesex Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Billings last week denied a request to drop the charge, finding a grand jury ...

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Former Royalton Police Officer Charged With Giving Heroin From Evidence Room to His Girlfriend


Former Royalton police officer John Breault was charged on Thursday with taking heroin from the department's evidence closet this summer and giving it to an opioid addict, Enter Article DATE HERE Burlington — Former Royalton police officer John Breault was charged on Thursday with taking heroin from the department's evidence closet this summer...

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City leaders look at police department over missing weapons

Tupelo's police department cannot locate some of its firearms inventory September 26, 2017 TUPELO – Tupelo's police department cannot locate some of its firearms inventory, but Chief Bart Aguirre said the problem dates back to previous administrations and more stringent controls are now in place. A cache of weapons were identified as missing by the...

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Inside CSPD's evidence locker - guns, furniture, baseball bats and cake


Already the unit is running out of room in its combined 16,000 square-foot facilities, forcing the Police Department to purchase Conex containers to hold the overflow. September 25 The most bizarre objects you can think of probably have been stored in the Colorado Springs Police Department's evidence facilities at one point or another. Some of the ...

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Drugs missing, guns mishandled in Houston County evidence room

"Officials failed to perform an annual inventory." September 25, 2017 A state investigation has found serious problems with the Houston County Sheriff's Office property and evidence room, including drugs that were missing, guns and drugs in the room that weren't in the inventory and security cameras that weren't connected. The Tennessee Office of t...

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Drug testing part of new Braintree police contracts

The town council approved a three-year contract with its police unions that includes a provision for random drug testing. September 22, 2017 BRAINTREE – New contracts with town police unions call for officers to undergo random drug testing. The contracts, with the Braintree Police Superior Officers Association and the Braintree Police Officers Asso...

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Cops corral unused drugs

Marcoux thinks more departments would install the drop-off containers if the drugs weren't clogging up their evidence rooms September 21, 2107 Half a ton: That's the weight of prescription drugs that Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux and his deputies have picked up from other police departments in the last month. Marcoux is the point man for a ...

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Jury finds man guilty in Tulsa cold-case murder solved through DNA

DNA evidence, testing leads to conviction in 23-year-old case September 21, 2017 A jury recommended Thursday that a man spend the rest of his life in prison for the beating death of a woman inside her north Tulsa residence more than 23 years ago, which he was linked to in 2014 through upgraded DNA testing. The jury deliberated about 4½ hours before...

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Untested rape exam kits number thousands in Indiana


September 20, 2017 Like many states, Indiana has a problem — mountains of untested rape exam kits in local law enforcement agencies that contain DNA evidence potentially identifying sex offenders. Indiana's backlog of untested kits is certainly in the thousands. Victim advocates say the question is, how many thousands? No one can accurately answer ...

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Investigation fails to solve mystery of missing drug evidence

The mystery of what happened to 71 oxycodone pills that disappeared after being introduced as evidence in a Franklin County drug-possession trial remains unsolved after a sheriff's office investigation. Enter Article DATE HERE The mystery of what happened to 71 oxycodone pills that disappeared after being introduced as evidence in a Franklin C...

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Orange County deputy charged with grand theft

A deputy with the Orange County Sheriff's Office is accused of grand theft after stealing items from a crime scene, including cash, and possibly using stolen credit cards in another county, i September 19, 2017 A second deputy came to the address on Heming Way to handle the drug case, which resulted in Shehata's arrest, officials said. When Shehata...

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Insane amount of fentanyl seized in record-breaking bust

NYPD and DEA agents recovered 64 kilograms of the lethal drug from a residential  as part of a broader pair of stings that netted $30 million worth of narcotics. Enter Article DATE HERE Law enforcement agents seized a record haul of street-grade fentanyl from a Queens building — ​marking ​the largest ​such bust ​in New York City history, ...

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Assistant prosecutor knew of sheriff's office evidence trouble in 2015, reports show

In 2015, the State Police were investigating a sheriff's office employee suspected of stealing drug forfeiture money.​ Sept. 18, 2017 LANSING — An Ingham County assistant prosecutor and a Michigan State Police investigator were told of widespread problems with evidence at the Ingham County Sheriff's Office more than a year before news reports expos...

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Harrisburg police corporal to plead guilty to $22K theft

A former supervisor of the Harrisburg police vice unit plans to plead guilty to charges he stole more than $22,000 from an evidence locker September 15, 2017 HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A former supervisor of the Harrisburg police vice unit plans to plead guilty to charges he stole more than $22,000 from an evidence locker, according to court document...

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After lab closure, daunting questions on DNA-based convictions remain

Thousands of people — defense attorneys estimate 4,000 to 5,000, while prosecutors say fewer than 3,600 — were convicted using evidence processed by the Police Department's forensics lab between 2004 and 2016, Enter Article DATE HERE The shuttering of the Austin Police Department's forensics lab after an audit found unscientific protocols and ...

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"We got you": Arrest in 1992 cold case slaying of Mass. teacher's aide Lisa Ziegert


Last year, Gulluni released a computer-generated rendering of a suspect using new technology that analyzed the DNA to predict the suspect's physical characteristics. September 18, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Massachusetts prosecutors say they've made an arrest in the slaying of a middle school teacher's aide 25 years ago. A court on Friday issued an...

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Hazel Park chief feels betrayed after detective is accused of stealing $85,000


Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE HAZEL PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - Hazel Park police veteran Sean K. Boucher is accused of embezzling $85,000 from the city. "He was one of the most trusted and respected members of the police department and that's why he was in the position that he was," said Chief Martin Barner. Barner say he feels betraye...

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Former MPD Officer To Be Arraigned Monday

Allegations that he stole evidence Enter Article DATE HERE MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG/ AP) – A 44-year-old former Mobile Police officer is scheduled to enter a plea in court Monday morning following his arrest last month on a drug charge and allegations that he stole evidence. Corporal Damian Colvin was arrested after an internal investigation that be...

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2020 Hits

Officer charged with stealing meds will enter program

A Vineland police officer who allegedly helped himself to drugs from the Project Medicine Drop box while on duty September 14, 2017 BRIDGETON - A Vineland police officer who allegedly helped himself to drugs from the Project Medicine Drop box while on duty has been authorized to enter the Cumberland County Pretrial Intervention Program. Back in Jun...

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Evidence mismanaged under fmr. Laurens Sheriff, says audit

SLED reported 885 pieces of evidence were found that were not even logged in the system Laurens County had set up. September 14, 2017 A 6 month audit by the State Law Enforcement Agency, revealed a gross mismanagement of the evidence department under former Laurens County Sheriff Ricky Chastain. SLED audits of evidence departments in cities and cou...

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State Police Seize $1 Million Worth Of Fentanyl During Traffic Stop

​Statewide Narcotics Task Force seized one kilogram of fentanyl, with a street value of $1 million​ September 14, 2017 State troopers detectives with the Statewide Narcotics Task Force seized one kilogram of fentanyl, with a street value of $1 million, after stopping a car on I-95 in Old Lyme, police said. The officers pulled over a 2009 Honda Acco...

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Rape victims in Iowa are still waiting months for evidence testing

She's called at least 10 times, only to be told there is a backlog and it's in process. September14, 2017 n late February, 42-year-old Gina Battani told her local police she was sexually assaulted by someone she knew. But nearly seven months later, analysis of the evidence collected from her case has not been completed by the state crime lab — whil...

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Mold in Scituate police station could force temporary move, transfer of prisoners

Mold has rendered some police evidence unrecognizable Enter Article DATE HERE SCITUATE -- After fielding reports on a severe mold problem at the town's police department, Scituate town officials talked Thursday night about moving the police force to a fire station and locking up prisoners overnight in other towns. The council took up the discu...

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Former Novato policeman accused of evidence mishandling

The alleged crimes included various drug and alcohol violations, threats of violence and vehicle offenses. September 15, 2017 A former Novato police officer repeatedly lost or mishandled key evidence and statements, potentially jeopardizing a series of criminal cases he was involved in, prosecutors said. Christopher Gamboa resigned from the Novato ...

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DNA leads to charges in 1983 Minneapolis cold case rape, murder


DNA testing helped develop a profile of the suspect September 13, 2017 (KMSP) - A St. Louis Park man has been charged with second degree murder after DNA evidence connected him to a 1983 rape and murder case. 62-year-old Darrell Bruce Rea faces 40 years in prison. Around 10:30 a.m. April 2, 1983, officers were dispatched to the Soo Line Railroad tr...

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Ex-cop gets probation in drug theft case

A former police officer who pocketed drugs from the scene of a fatal overdose September 13, 2017 ST. JOSEPH — A former police officer who pocketed drugs from the scene of a fatal overdose told a Berrien County judge Tuesday that he has shamed himself and done great harm to his family his community. "I hope they will see that I'm going to try to do ...

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Fentanyl fears force policy change, testing backlog within Arizona DPS

"CAUTION! EVIDENCE CONTAINS FENTANYL or its ANALOG" September 12, 2017 A half-used sheet of fluorescent-yellow stickers at a workstation in the state's crime lab is an indicator of more than just the phrase stamped in bold, black letters: "CAUTION! EVIDENCE CONTAINS FENTANYL or its ANALOG" It's proof of an ever-intensifying and dangerous national i...

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1778 Hits

Former Dickinson County lieutenant accused of theft

Swanson is accused of stealing between $1,500 and $25,000 in cash that was seized in evidence at the sheriff's office Enter Article DATE HERE ABILENE — Former Dickinson County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Swanson is scheduled to make a first appearance in Dickinson County District Court in October on felony charges of theft, official misconduct and crim...

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DNA link leads Delco investigators to N.Y. suspect 10 years later


"I think it is important to recognize how DNA plays in a case" September 7, 2017 Police found Gary Jenkins beaten, stabbed, and wrapped in a comforter inside his Sharon Hill home on May 7, 2007. Back then, no one brought up Izena Goudy as a possible suspect in the 45-year-old man's death, Delaware County District Attorney John J. Whelan said. But o...

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A DEA officer had a wild affair with a convict — letting her listen to wiretaps, roam the evidence room, and have sex in the office

Drug Enforcement Agency agent carried on an extra-marital affair with a convicted criminal, shared evidence with her, and may have left her unattended in the drug evidence room, according to a report from the Office of the Inspector General published Thursday. September 7, 2017 Drug Enforcement Agency agent carried on an extra-marital affair with a...

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Woman charged with stealing drugs from Okaloosa County Sheriffs

Investigators say Rezzarday committed criminal violations in connection with prescription drugs stored in Evidence August 29, 2017 KALOOSA 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 D...

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Former correctional officer charged with flushing heroin gets fined

Rather than collecting it and filing a report, prosecutors say Werner flushed it down a toilet. August 29, 2017 SAGINAW, MI -- A former correctional officer at The Saginaw County Jail who was accused of tampering with evidence by flushing heroin down a toilet was sentenced to fines and court costs after pleading to a misdemeanor. Prosecutors say on...

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Alleging 'government corruption' in drug lab, evidence room scandals, Springfield drug defendant files $5.7 million federal lawsuit


Farak reported smoking crack in the bathroom at the lab all morning and pilfered some LSD before lunch September 6, 2017 SPRINGFIELD -- A civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court combines nearly every recent high-profile law enforcement scandal in the region -- which, according to the complaint, collided to unfairly put one man behind bars...

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Alleging 'government corruption' in drug lab, evidence room scandals, Springfield drug defendant files $5.7 million federal lawsuit

A civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court combines nearly every recent high-profile law enforcement scandal in the region September 5, 2017 SPRINGFIELD -- A civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court combines nearly every recent high-profile law enforcement scandal in the region -- which, according to the complaint, collided to unf...

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Judge, lawyers: State dragging feet on Amherst drug lab scandal

Even as prosecutors scramble to address state drug laboratory misconduct that could undermine upwards of 18,000 cases statewide, a judge has lambasted law enforcement officials for their handling of the case September 2, 2017 AMHERST — Even as prosecutors scramble to address state drug laboratory misconduct that could undermine upwards of 18,000 ca...

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Ex-Police Officer Pleads In Drug Theft From Evidence Room

Prosecutors said he took a sealed envelope containing 133 stamp bags of suspected heroin valued at about $1,300 from a box in the patrol room. September 3, 2017 WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) – A former part-time police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing suspected heroin after it was seized as evidence by a Pennsylvania police department. The (Washington...

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2569 Hits

Former Darlington Police officer arrested for misconduct, larceny, fraud

​Charged with official misconduct and petit larceny after $910 was allegedly discovered missing, along with a $100 dollar gift card, which were both evidence in cases September 1, 2017 DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – A former Darlington Police officer has been arrested and charged with misconduct in office, petit larceny, and financial transact...

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Sheriff’s department obtains clean way to locally dispose of drugs

You have to destroy any kind of narcotics, you can't just throw it away Enter Article DATE HERE The Phelps County Sheriff's Department has a new way to dispose of evidence, one they are able to keep practically in their back yard. By acquiring a new incinerator, the Sheriff's Department hopes to save time and money when it comes to clearing ou...

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2021 Hits

Ex-sheriff's son arrested after 2-year probe, and investigation hasn't stopped

A son of former Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher has been charged in connection with an ongoing two-year probe into items discovered missing from an evidence room Enter Article DATE HERE RICHMOND - A son of former Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher has been charged in connection with an ongoing two-year probe into items discovered mis...

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2541 Hits

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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2329 Hits

Editorial | No charges, but plenty of blame, for ex-city police leaders

But his crimes are the product of poor oversight of evidence at the city police department, and a failure by former department leaders to respond to repeated warnings that there were problems – including possible break-ins involving the evidence locker where drugs were stored. August 27, 2017 Former Johnstown police officer William Slisz will face ...

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2010 Hits

Editorial Calls for Comprehensive Review of Drug Convictions Involving Amherst Crime Lab

A similar scandal in another Massachusetts crime lab, in which chemist Annie Dookhan was convicted of evidence tampering, resulted in the dismissal of 20,000 drug cases. August 27, 2017 In an editorial on Wednesday, the Daily Hampshire Gazette urged Massachusetts lawmakers to allocate funds for a comprehensive review of drug convictions based on ev...

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'We found who killed your sister.' 48 years later, a cold case is solved (DNA)

The mystery of her murder lingered for nearly half a century, outlasting several detectives and potential suspects. August 27, 2017 It should have been an ordinary errand: a trip to a Mid-Wilshire drug store to buy a hair dryer. Wendy Jo Halison drove her prized green Thunderbird down Fairfax Avenue on that Sunday afternoon in 1968, stopping at the...

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Md. comptroller opens vault of alcohol, tobacco to expose lucrative crime

Another warehouse holds 20 times the contraband stored in the state office building. August 27, 2017 WASHINGTON — Maryland's comptroller cracked open a vault of contraband in the basement of a government building to shine a light on what's being done to stop a common crime. In the basement of the Treasury Building in Annapolis, Maryland Comptroller...

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