Battling the backlog: More than 1,100 potentially untested and unsolved sexual assault kits in KC

Some of those sexual assault kits date back nearly 40 years. October 1, 2107 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - More than 1,000 potentially untested sexual assault kits are on an evidence room shelf here in Kern County. Some of those sexual assault kits date back nearly 40 years. 23ABC's I-Team investigated why there are so many that are poteniatlly untested an...

Continue reading
1586 Hits

Hazmat cleaning crew offers glimpse inside former fentanyl lab in Sturgeon County

Edmonton police announced they had made the largest fentanyl pill seizure in Canadian history. September 29, 2017 Dean May, owner and president of Mayken Hazmat Solutions, said his Calgary-based hazardous cleaning and remediation company got the contract to clean up the house at 306-26023 Township Road 544 roughly three weeks ago. He and two other ...

Continue reading
2394 Hits

Sheriff calls for evidence room investigation after audit

The report outlined problems, including missing drugs, present guns and drugs that weren't recorded in the inventory and disconnected security cameras. Enter Article DATE HERE ERIN, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee sheriff is calling for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into irregularities of his department's evidence room and the former ...

Continue reading
2006 Hits

MD lawmakers tackle sexual assault laws

Senate Bill 349 prevents that from happening by prohibiting police from destroying rape kits within 20 years of collection Enter Article DATE HERE This year Maryland lawmakers focused on sexual assault. The General Assembly approved several new pieces of legislation. One of those laws says police must retain rape kits for 20 years, another rec...

Continue reading
1543 Hits

Houston faces class action lawsuit from sexual assault victims

The Houston Forensic Science Center took over the police department's forensic operations in 2014 and said it eliminated a backlog dating to the 1980s that it inherited from the police department. October 1, 2017 Current and former Houston officials are facing a class action lawsuit from sexual assault victims who said the delay in testing their ra...

Continue reading
1896 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1213 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1935 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2033 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 ...

Continue reading
2052 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...

Continue reading
2252 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1571 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
1367 Hits

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...

Continue reading
3628 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1606 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
6072 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2320 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1505 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
1943 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2690 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
1830 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2090 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1840 Hits

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, ...

Continue reading
2293 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1726 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1919 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
1883 Hits

"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...

Continue reading
2165 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1973 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2051 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...

Continue reading
1522 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1879 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1957 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1895 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2214 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
2303 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1876 Hits

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 ...

Continue reading
1917 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1809 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...

Continue reading
1793 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1684 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2604 Hits

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...

Continue reading
1943 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2192 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2354 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2064 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2317 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2597 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...

Continue reading
2163 Hits

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...

Continue reading
2064 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...

Continue reading
2593 Hits

Search IAPE

Blotter - Latest News

This login form is for IAPE Staff ONLY!