DNA leads to warrant in 1976 Houston cold case

Investigators say a review of DNA evidence in the 1976 fatal stabbing of a Houston man has led to a warrant issued for a convicted killer in a later case April 24, 2017 HOUSTON (AP) - Investigators say a review of DNA evidence in the 1976 fatal stabbing of a Houston man has led to a warrant issued for a convicted killer in a later case. The Harris ...

Continue reading
2270 Hits

Dickson County Woman Allegedly Took Evidence From Patrol Car


An investigation began on April 3 after the disappearance of money and drugs from a patrol car DICKSON, Tenn. - A Dickson County woman has been charged with bringing contraband into a jail and tampering with evidence.Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said an indictment was obtained for 31-year-old Tasha Naydean Corlew. ...

Continue reading
2215 Hits

Baton Rouge DA, Innocence Project tangle over missing evidence in rape case


"the bloodstains, bed sheets, rape kit and sunglasses have disappeared from the evidence record since the 1980s" Apr 22, 2017 A nonprofit legal aid group is trying to re-open the books on a decades-old East Baton Rouge Parish rape conviction by tracking evidence for DNA testing. However, the bloodstains, bed sheets, rape kit and sunglasses have dis...

Continue reading
2001 Hits

Indiana to conduct audit of untested sexual assault kits

Local officials said there are many reasons a kit may not have been tested, the most common being that the victim did not cooperate or declined to move forward with the case. April 22, 2017 INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana State Police plan to conduct an audit of untested sexual assault kits that may have lingered for years in evidence collection rooms acros...

Continue reading
1872 Hits

Justice denied: Lawsuit surrounding wrongful conviction and missing evidence


Nearly 20 years later, with the advent of DNA technology, Sledge began to write authorities letter after letter, asking that the evidence used to convict him be tested so he could prove his innocence. April 21 ,2107 BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A lawsuit filed against Bladen County by a wrongfully incarcerated man could cost the county millions of do...

Continue reading
1776 Hits

Family relieved after DNA evidence leads to homicide charges in 16-year-old cold case


Police say new DNA evidence that emerged in 2014 prompted a 22-month hunt for a suspect that concluded last week with an arrest in Sherwood Park. April 19, 2017 For a decade after his brother's murder, Ian Hepher would phone Calgary homicide detectives each year in March around the anniversary of his death to find out if anythin...

Continue reading
1906 Hits

CMPD’s Lost and Found: a ham and a tombstone


Shotguns, bikes, drugs, a ham and a coffin: just a few of the items at CMPD's Property Control Room when this story was written in 1982. The department was responsible for the safekeeping of evidence, lost items and recovered stolen things. April 21, 2017 By John Monk, Observer Staff Writer This is where Charlotte's lost things wind ...

Continue reading
1766 Hits

Massachusetts Supreme Court dismisses 21,000 drug convictions following chemist misconduct

Beyond the over 21,000 cases likely to be dismissed, another 500 to 700 convictions would most likely not be vacated April 21, 2017 JURIST] The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court  on Thursday formally approved the dismissal [press release] of over 21,000 drug convictions that were deemed [order, PDF] to be "tainted" by a former state chemist...

Continue reading
1583 Hits

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to Vacate 21,587 Drug Conviction Cases

The cases handled by Sonja Farak—a former drug lab chemist in Amherst, Mass, who in 2014 was convicted of stealing and using drugs from the state laboratory where she worked for years—are still pending. The next wave of dismissals could include 18K or more tainted cases. April 20, 2017 This morning, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Cour...

Continue reading
1561 Hits

Police begin reopening rape cases as Kentucky tests old DNA evidence


Kentucky has shipped 3,173 untested rape kits to a private laboratory in Utah for forensic analysis, to determine if DNA evidence can be retrieved. April 15, 2017 Kentucky prosecutors must prepare for a wave of newly reopened sexual assault cases as several thousand previously untested sexual assault evidence kits — some dating back to the 1970s — ...

Continue reading
2040 Hits

Ex-cop accused of evidence locker theft was back in court Monday


A retired Springfield police officer accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the department's evidence locker was in court again April 15, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A retired Springfield police officer accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the department's evidence locker was in court again on Monday. Kevin Burnham was only briefly in th...

Continue reading
1675 Hits

Standardized rape kits good idea


Standardizing the rape kits would reduce the chance of contamination and make for a faster and more efficient process, she said. Enter Article DATE HERE All rape kits are not created equal. There are multiple vendors. Some law enforcement agencies buy them off the shelf. Some of the larger departments have manufacturers customize them for thei...

Continue reading
1786 Hits

Familial DNA test, retired detective's tenacity, solve 1992 murder case


San Diego police homicide Lt. Mike Holden said the evidence that connected Falls was a "familial DNA" test — the first of its kind run by a San Diego County law agency. April 14, 2017 A reserve San Diego police detective, determined to make a difference while fighting cancer, took on a cold case and through DNA helped solve the horrific murder of a...

Continue reading
1923 Hits

Page PD Tests New Burn Barrel


This unit has the potential to save the police department thousands of dollars that would have been spent to dispose of this evidence using other methods. April 14, 2017 The Page Police Department tried out its new 'burn barrel' for the first time this week. The barrel is used to dispose of evidence and other property stored in our evidence room th...

Continue reading
2099 Hits

Senate Sends Bill on DNA Collection to Gov. Holcomb's Desk


Last fall, a DNA sample collected in Ohio helped Indiana police link a man to the fatal shooting of John Clements, 82, in Zionsville, and two other attacks in October. Enter Article DATE HERE By DARCY COSTELLO, Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) —  Indiana senators voted Thursday to allow DNA swabs to be taken upon a person's felony arres...

Continue reading
2086 Hits

Crime-scene investigator made errors in 65 cases, DA's office says


The review of 88 cases done by the officer determined that 65 had incomplete documentation, 32 had administrative errors and in eight cases, evidence had been misplaced. April 12, 2017 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer working as a crime-scene investigator made errors in 65 cases dating back to October 2015, according to a scathing audit r...

Continue reading
2165 Hits

Texas may ask drivers to help clear rape kit backlog


Texas is considering asking drivers to help it clear its huge backlog of untested rape kits, a novel approach that has been well received by cost-conscious Republican lawmakers and one that other states might consider April 5, 2017 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is considering asking drivers to help it clear its huge backlog of untested rape kits, a no...

Continue reading
1754 Hits

Second Untested Rape Kit Backlog Found In Detroit


Prosecutors say another 555 rape kits languished in police storage after the 2009 discovery of 11,341 abandoned sexual assault kits. March 27, 2017 DETROIT, MI — Problems with forgotten rape kits persisted in Detroit after public outcry over more than 11,000 — some of them dating back 30 years — found languishing in a police warehouse in 2009, acco...

Continue reading
2005 Hits

Allegheny County crime lab employee on leave amid probe


"Right now, we're concerned about the integrity of these approximately 600 cases to ensure these people got a fair trial," he said. "We have an ethical obligation to look at all of these and notify the [defense.] "Even if we don't think there's a problem, we still have to work the files." March 29, 2017 Allegheny County crime lab employee on leave ...

Continue reading
1841 Hits

Man charged with 1998 killing of 13-year-old girl in Calif.(DNA)


"There's strong DNA evidence," he said but declined to be specific. April 6, 2017 MONTEREY, Calif. - An imprisoned rapist will be charged with killing a 13-year-old California girl who vanished while walking her dog nearly two decades ago, a prosecutor announced Thursday. Charles Holifield will be charged on April 14 with murder and kidnapping for ...

Continue reading
1665 Hits

The Montana Department of Justice is working to find storage and test nearly 1,400 rape kits.


The MSU Voice Center wanted to get the word out that although there is a backlog of rape kits, action is being taken to resolve the issue April 5, 2017 BOZEMAN - Wednesday at Montana State University, the Voice Center presented the efforts being made across the state to end the rape kit backlog.The MSU Voice Center wanted to get the word out that a...

Continue reading
1736 Hits

2004 Paralympic Rings Recovered By PropertyRoom.com


Upon discovery of the ring, and the name engraved upon it, Jenny Metz, a PropertyRoom.com employee, notified her supervisor, who reached out to the Wichita Police Department. April 4, 2017 Recently, an employee at PropertyRoom.com, an online police auction website, was sorting through items received from the Wichita Police Department in Kansas to p...

Continue reading
1823 Hits

UPDATE: Sex assault kits part of missing evidence


An audit revealed that nearly 1,800 cases had missing evidence April 3, 2017 The Ingham County Sheriff's Office is now saying it's lost track of seven sexual-assault kits. The department announced Monday those seven kits are part of the 1,756 cases in which evidence was lost dating back to the year 2000.  Prosecutor Carol Siemon is not happy. ...

Continue reading
1989 Hits

DNA from 36-year-old gum leads to cold case manslaughter conviction


Bell was first arrested in 1981; however, he was eventually let go due to a lack of evidence. But advances in technology provided the proof needed to bring him to justice. April 2, 2017 alk about a long-lasting piece of gum. A 60-year-old British man was convicted of manslaughter in March after investigators pulled traces of his DNA from a 36-year-...

Continue reading
1999 Hits

Canadian cops lose $25,000 worth of cocaine during a drug trial, pretty sure they “destroyed” it, so all good right?


The judge said that the police losing nine ounces of the illicit substance was "troublesome indeed."Yeah. Enter Article DATE HERE A $25,000 booty of seized cocaine has mysteriously disappeared from the locked vault of a Canadian police station. Although, the stash was the key evidence during a drug trial held earlier this month, the cops say t...

Continue reading
5067 Hits

77 cases dismissed due to missing evidence at Ingham sheriff's office


Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE LANSING -- A total of 77 cases were dismissed following an investigation into missing evidence at the Ingham County Sheriff's Office, according to a March 24 report from Ingham County Prosecutor's Office. The 5-page report, which will be discussed at Ingham County's law and courts committee meeting T...

Continue reading
1918 Hits

Looking for solutions to Ingham County's evidence room problems


"It's embarrassing for law enforcement, the prosecutor's office but now we move forward." Enter Article DATE HERE LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Ingham County's evidence room was a mess for years according the county prosecutor's "A colossal failure in leadership," Ingham County Sherriff Scott Wriggelsworth said. "It was unacceptable, it was inapprop...

Continue reading
1812 Hits

Rape kit law speeds up testing process


Gov. Gary Herbert signed House Bill 200 on March 22, which now requires local law enforcement agencies to submit sexual assault kits to state forensic labs for testing within 30 days of retrieval. March 29, 2017 Some advocates for sexual assault victims are praising Utah's new legislation regarding the processing of rape kits. Gov. Gary Herber...

Continue reading
1723 Hits

Ex-evidence custodian indicted on 118 counts of stealing pills from Florence police


"I am both embarrassed and disgusted by this case" March 29, 2017 A former evidence custodian for the Florence Police Department has been indicted on more than 100 charges associated with stealing narcotics from the evidence vault. Lauren Ezell, 34, of Rogersville, resigned amid an investigation into allegations she mishandled and stole evidence fr...

Continue reading
1979 Hits

VA police officer sentenced for taking medications


Walters, 37, of Madison, was sentenced to two years of probation. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 5. Enter Article DATE HERE MADISON, Wis. - A former lieutenant with the state Department of Veterans Affairs Police Department was sentenced Tuesday for possession of a controlled substance. David Walters, 37, of Madison, was sentenced to two years of p...

Continue reading
1694 Hits

Former Simpsonville police officer gets 12 years for P.D. robbery


March 6, 2017 Putnam, the Simpsonville Police officer arrested Jan. 7, 2016, in connection with the November 2015 robbery of thousands of dollars as well as guns and drugs from the Simpsonville Police Department, had pleaded guilty before Shelby Circuit Judge Charles Hickman in January. Putnam made an open plea, which left the sentence up to the ju...

Continue reading
1498 Hits

Los Angeles man pleads no contest to 1985 murder (DNA)


The case remained unsolved for three decades until it was reopened in 2013 by then Oxnard Police Department Detective Mike Young, who was assigned to the Ventura County Sheriff's Cold Case Task Force. March 23, 2017 A Los Angeles man facing criminal charges connected to the rape and murder of an Oxnard woman 30 years ago pleaded...

Continue reading
1763 Hits

Former HP trooper gets five years in prison for stealing drug money

Convicted of stealing nearly $70,000 in drug money seized by his department, according to the attorney general's office March 24, 2017 A former South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of stealing nearly $70,000 in drug money seized by his department, according to the attorney general's office....

Continue reading
1630 Hits

Kentucky State Police Lab becoming training ground for other state labs because of low pay, lab director says


Analysts in Kentucky are now ranked as the lowest paid in the entire United States, and KSP Forensic Laboratory System Director Laura Sudkamp told Pure Politics she is the lowest paid director in the nation, "by a long shot." March 23, 2017 Editor's note: This is part two in a two-part series on Kentucky's attempts to clear the backlog of untested ...

Continue reading
3622 Hits

Washing machine drugs police Inspector Keith Boots jailed

  Authentication required.

This is a password protected blog, please kindly enter the password into the password field below to view the blog.

0 Hits

Former South Dakota trooper sentenced to 5 years in theft case


admitted to stealing money from evidence March 24, 2017 A former South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper who admitted to stealing money from evidence while on the job has been sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary. In addition, 48-year-old Brian William Biehl received a $10,000 fine.  Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the senten...

Continue reading
2067 Hits

A cop billed his department for overtime pay. He was actually watching child porn.


He was logging into a high-security evidence server to watch child pornography seized from other people. March 22, 2017 For three decades, officer Craig Wattier rose through the ranks of his police department outside Toronto - progressing from tractor-trailer thefts to some of its worst investigations, such as sex crimes against children. One day i...

Continue reading
1809 Hits

New DNA testing leads to charges in 2005 Halifax homicide case


Halifax police say further evidence testing led to charges laid Thursday in the homicide of Naomi Kidston 12 years ago. March 23, 2017 Halifax police say further evidence testing led to charges laid Thursday in the homicide of Naomi Kidston 12 years ago.  Police said Donald Murray Peters, 50, was arrested without incident on Stanley Street in ...

Continue reading
1755 Hits

Rape kits in Arizona must now be tested within 15 days of collection


"Until recently, the state didn't even know the number of untested rape kits in Arizona, which turned out to be in the thousands. Enter Article DATE HERE PHOENIX - Rape kits must be tested within 15 days of being collected, thanks to a new law just signed by Gov. Doug Ducey.The legislation establishes time limits, standards and reporting requi...

Continue reading
1858 Hits

Missing narcotics funds the fault of poor record-keeping, State audit says


In addition, investigators found that the unit did not keep inventory records of drug evidence and seized property. May 22, 2017 An audit of Cheatham County's government spending for the 2016-2017 fiscal year by the Comptroller found that the narcotics unit of the Sheriff's Office had "questionable expenses with confidential funds" and missing evid...

Continue reading
1677 Hits

Former Fairfield police janitor sentenced to prison for selling guns from evidence room


Agents arrested Hunter the next day and recovered 31 firearms, ammunition, narcotics and a decorative sword that were all presumed to be stolen from the Fairfield Police Department Enter Article DATE HERE Cute and Paste Content Here Recent blog posts - International Associate For Property & Evidence Inc. - IAPE News Blog IAPE is a non...

Continue reading
2379 Hits

Medical issues postpone trial date for retired Springfield police officer Kevin Burnham


Medical issues postpone trial date for retired Springfield police officer Kevin Burnham March 20, 2017 Springfield-Kevin Burnham, retired Springfield police officer, appears in Hampden County Superior Court where his case was continued until March.  Burnham is facing charges with stealing nearly $385,000 in cash from the police department's ev...

Continue reading
2431 Hits

Man claims he owns $16K held by Pflugerville police but now missing

  Authentication required.

This is a password protected blog, please kindly enter the password into the password field below to view the blog.

0 Hits

Suffolk DA issues subpoenas to Village of Lloyd Harbor, mayor says


Any and all documents regarding the surrender and disposition of weapons to the Lloyd Harbor Police Department" from Jan. 1, 1987 to present. March 17, 2017 The Suffolk County district attorney's office has issued subpoenas to the Village of Lloyd Harbor for police records, the village's mayor said Friday. One of the subpoenas requested payroll rec...

Continue reading
2433 Hits

Trial date Monday for retired Springfield Police Detective Kevin Burnham, accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from evidence room


Monday is the trial date for retired Springfield Detective Kevin Burnham, accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the Police Department's evidence room over four and a half years March 17, 2017 SPRINGFIELD -- Monday is the trial date for retired Springfield Detective Kevin Burnham, accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the Police Department's e...

Continue reading
2231 Hits

Las Vegas police Evidence Vault has 1 million unclaimed items


Metro has many warehouses around the city that house recovered property March 18, 2017 Burglars stole your stuff. The police recovered it. What comes next? Enter the reason for the Evidence Vault, which isn't really a vault at all, as attendees learned at a recent First Tuesday seminar. On hand for the February talk at Northwest Area Command, 9850 ...

Continue reading
3773 Hits

Police: Pungent pot grower to be charged with felonies


Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE PORTSMOUTH — Police plan to upgrade charges to felonies against a city man accused of growing 51 marijuana plants in his basement, which were seized and stunk up the Police Department and adjacent City Hall. Plans to upgrade charges against Christian Lydon, 47, of 1156 Woodbury Ave., are cited in a m...

Continue reading
1875 Hits

DNA evidence led to arrest in killing of 84-year-old man

  Authentication required.

This is a password protected blog, please kindly enter the password into the password field below to view the blog.

0 Hits

Evidence out-of-control: a provincial inquiry is needed into HRP's drug exhibit audit


The shockingly sloppy evidence control procedures also create uncomfortable questions about the trustworthiness of our criminal justice system. March 16, 2017 Last summer The Coast revealed that an internal audit conducted by the Halifax Regional Police had found widespread problems with the security and record keeping inside the HRP's Drug Vault—t...

Continue reading
1551 Hits

How cops say they cracked woman’s 1987 St. Paul strangulation


The 30-year-old cold case, which led to the filing of charges against Withers on Thursday, was solved after additional DNA testing of the fingernails of the victim, March 16, 2017 In 1987, several days after pleading guilty to a string of burglaries in St. Paul's Macalester-Groveland neighborhood — and being released from jail a day later — Michael...

Continue reading
1461 Hits

Search IAPE

Blotter - Latest News

This login form is for IAPE Staff ONLY!