WVTM 13 Investigates: Work to erase huge rape kit backlog continues in Jefferson County

Nearly 4,000 rape kits went untested for decades February 7, 2022 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A special team of investigators, prosecutors and advocates are helping eliminate a large rape kit backlog in Jefferson County. So far, more than a third of the untested sexual assault kits have now been sent to a state forensics lab. Learn more in the video above. ...

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Crescent City to sell guns from police evidence locker

Griffin said he wanted guidance from the council before moving forward. February 7, 2022 Crescent City will soon begin selling guns it has been storing in the police evidence locker. The city council voted unanimously to authorize the police department to sell the guns, some that were used in crimes, but many simply left behind over the last few de...

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Jury awards 3 KSP troopers $900K in whistleblower case

"This gentleman thought it was a good idea — if, for whatever reason — to steal this evidence from an open case," Burton said. "And then stamp the property form, evidence form, destroyed by fire when in fact they weren't destroyed by fire." February 11, 2022 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A jury awarded three Kentucky State troopers nearly $1 million as...

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‘Why’d you take my mama?’: Cold case victim’s sons confront man sentenced in 1981 Lakeland murder


Mills became Lakeland Police Department's main suspect in 2019 after DNA submitted through an online ancestry database  February 9, 2022 BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) — Four decades of grief, pain and loss culminated in an emotional confrontation in a Polk County courtroom Wednesday between the family of a slain young mother and the man pleading guilty ...

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Cold case murder of girl, 9, in 1964 finally solved, police said (57 years later)


A Pennsylvania State Police DNA lab was able to develop a suspect profile based on a DNA sample left on Marise's jacket February 8, 2022A 57-year-old cold case involving the brutal sexual assault and murder of a 9-year-old girl was solved using genetic genealogy, police in Pennsylvania announced. Marise Ann Chiverella was killed on March 18, 1964, ...

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O.C. sheriff’s sergeant may have perjured himself in court, assistant public defender says

Larson allegedly played roles in two of the biggest scandals to rock the Orange County Sheriff's Department in recent years — the evidence mishandling and snitch scandals.  Enter Article DATE HERE An Orange County sheriff's sergeant may have perjured himself in court when speaking about his role in two high-profile scandals, according to ...

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Key evidence found in 40-year-old Broward murder cold case Wilton Manors police send physical items out for DNA testing

Since sitting down with police, they began looking for missing evidence. In an email, the police department said they have now located fingerprints and the physical evidence that was sent for testing. February 04, 2022 WILTON MANORS, Fla. – After a Local 10 investigation into the handling of a 40-year-old cold case, detectives are one step closer t...

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Pulaski officer charged with embezzlement of $17,000; takes plea agreement

Woodruff allegedly embezzled more than $5,000 in currency that belonged to the department. February 4, 2022 PULASKI COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - A former detective with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department has been charged with theft. During January and February of 2021, Jason Woodruff allegedly embezzled more than $5,000 in currency that belonged to t...

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Colorado police solve four decades-old homicide cold cases with DNA from exhumed killer

Colorado have solved the decades-old cases of the deaths of four females, saying the killer was a man who died by suicide in jail in 1981 Jan 28, 2022 Using genetic genealogy and familial DNA, police in Colorado have solved the decades-old cases of the deaths of four females, saying the killer was a man who died by suicide in jail in 1981. The thre...

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Suspect arrested in 1978 San Francisco cold case: DA

Marc Stanley Personnette, 76, has been charged with suspicion of homicide for murdering and sexually assaulting Harvey. January 27, 2022 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — A 76-year-old suspect has been arrested for the 1978 sexual assault and murder of 15-year-old Marissa Harvey in San Francisco. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced ...

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NA Labs International Launches the Newest Technology for Forensic Genetic Genealogy

DNA Labs International, which specializes in forensic DNA analysis including forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) for law enforcement agencies January 26, 2022 DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB)  DNA Labs International, which specializes in forensic DNA analysis including forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) for law enforcement agencies, government forensi...

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Former Kentucky sheriff indicted on 2 federal charges

Cooper made cash withdrawals from the agency's asset forfeiture fund, which holds proceeds from properties seized in drug investigations that can only be used for law enforcement purposes, the indictment said. January 25, 2022 COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A former eastern Kentucky sheriff is accused of stealing more than $50,000 of cash seized by law enfo...

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California woman killed in 1977 identified by cold case team

Remains were identified after a possible match was found between DNA of possible relatives and DNA in a state missing persons database, January 20, 2022 RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California woman who was killed in 1977 has been identified by a cold case team, authorities said Friday. A skull and other skeletal remains found in 1986 w...

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Ex-Kern County deputy Logan August released from prison

August stole high-grade marijuana from a sheriff's office evidence room in March 2015 January 11, 2022 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Logan August, a former Kern County deputy who stole hundreds of pounds of marijuana and conspired with another deputy to put the drugs on the street, has been released from prison. August, 35, was released Monday to po...

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DNA helps Klamath County investigators identify suspect in unsolved 1978 double murder


The young couple had been hitchhiking through Oregon, possibly to visit Crater Lake, when they disappeared sometime in September of 1978. Both had been shot, their bodies discarded in the woods. January 6, 2022 KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — The long-cold case of a couple murdered near Lake of the Woods in 1978 at last has something approaching closure, tha...

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NC man arrested in 1986 kidnapping, murder of 4-year-old girl

A North Carolina man has been arrested in the killing of 4-year-old girl who was snatched from her South Carolina home in the middle of the night 35 years ago. January 9, 2021 A North Carolina man has been arrested in the killing of 4-year-old girl who was snatched from her South Carolina home in the middle of the night 35 years ago. Thomas Eric Mc...

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Cold case rape, murder of 14-year-old Atlanta girl solved with DNA, APD says

Arnold died in August 2021 in Fulton County, where both his accused crimes were committed.  January 4, 2022 ATLANTA - Atlanta police say detectives believe they have identified the man responsible for the 1995 cold case rape and murder of Nacole Smith and a 2004 East Point sexual assault. The suspect, 49-year-old Kevin Arnold, died of liver an...

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Lost Christmas package in hands of Richland County Sheriff's Office


There is a good possibility the package was intended for one of the prisons — either Richland Correctional Institution (RICI December 30, 2021 If anyone is missing a Christmas package, including a large, white drone, it's in the hands of the Richland County Sheriff's Office. Tuesday, a deputy was dispatched to the 1200 block of Evergreen Avenue Wes...

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Firestone police chief retires after investigation reveals procedural issues

A number of operational issues were discovered during the investigation and included: serious deficiencies about the operations of the evidence and property room December 22, 2021  Longtime Firestone Chief of Police David Montgomery retired this year, following a months-long investigation into the police department that officials said revealed...

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Former South Coast Sheriff's deputy gets jail sentence after prosecutors say he destroyed evidence in a case

Prosecutors say the deputy threw away a drug test for a woman which showed negative results. December 22, 2021 A former deputy sheriff on the South Coast has been sentenced to jail for destroying evidence in a case. Prosecutors say Richard Charles Barrios threw away key evidence in a case. In 2019, the Ventura County Sheriff's deputy stopped a fema...

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SFPD Arrests 76-Year-Old Colorado Man in Cold-Case Murder From 1978

Marissa was found strangled after she left to go horseback riding in Golden Gate Park,"  December 21, 2021 Teenager Marissa Rolf Harvey was found dead in Sutro Heights in 1978, but thanks to "advanced forensic investigative techniques," SFPD found a suspect in Colorado and arrested him for that murder on Thursday. When a murder case has gone c...

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Millions of dollars in stolen goods found in Chicago storage units

The stolen merchandise recovered by the Organized Retail Crime Task Force includes tens of thousands of products worth millions of dollars, December 10, 2021 CHICAGO, Ill. (WIFR) -The first major bust made by the Organized Retail Crime Task Force was announced on Friday. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that the Organized Retail Crime Tas...

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Las Vegas police to get $1.1M to help process rape kits, other DNA evidence

This grant will help the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department quickly and efficiently process key forensic tests, including sexual assault kits and DNA evidence left at crime scenes, December 10, 2021 LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is going to get $1.1 million in funding to help process sexual assault kits and ...

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Texas seized enough fentanyl to kill 200 million people this year alone, officials say

According to new data provided by the Texas DPS on Thursday, Operation Lone Star has seized 160 pounds of fentanyl within its targeted area.  December 10, 2021 The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced Thursday that in this year alone they have seized enough fentanyl crossing the border to kill 200 million people. The drug seizures...

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Genealogy sites, DNA lead to arrest in 2006 rape of a Miami University student

Butler County investigators used familial DNA to tie 59-year-old Lloyd Wendell Ailes of Indiana to an off-campus rape December 10, 2021 OXFORD, Ohio (WKRC) - An Indiana man is now in custody, accused of raping a Miami University student back in 2006. Butler County investigators used familial DNA to tie 59-year-old Lloyd Wendell Ailes of Indiana to ...

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Suspect charged in 25-year-old cold case murder in Northern California


Investigators submitted additional DNA evidence to the crime lab in 2020 where it was able to be analyzed for the first time and it matched a California inmate. December 10, 2021 Authorities in Northern California have charged a suspect already serving a life sentence with the 1996 cold case murder of a 21-year-old woman, the sheriff's department s...

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Audit finds MPD failed to follow procedures for seized money

A new audit found the Monroe Police Department did not follow procedures for handling seized money during the 2021 fiscal year. December 3, 2021 MONROE, La. (KNOE) -A new audit found the Monroe Police Department did not follow procedures for handling seized money during the 2021 fiscal year. The report, conducted by an independent firm, discovered ...

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The O.C. sheriff fired a deputy for tossing evidence. Now he has to be reinstated

Torres was terminated in 2019 after he admitted to discarding a gram of white powder, a methamphetamine pipe, a replica gun and several hypodermic syringes that he had not booked into evidence Enter Article DATE HERE The Orange County Sheriff's Department has been ordered to reinstate a deputy who was fired for throwing evidence into the trash...

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State inmate charged in 25-year-old Crockett cold case homicide

The big break for investigators came last year, when detectives submitted additional evidence to a DNA crime lab to be tested using current technology. December 10, 2021 A California state prison inmate has been charged with murder in the cold case killing of a waitress 25 years ago in Crockett, authorities said Thursday. Danny Lamont Hamilton, cur...

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New fingerprint technology leads to arrest in 1983 Florida cold-case murder


Police found the body of Pompano Beach resident Carla Lowe, then 21, lying in the street near the Amtrak station on Nov. 13, 1983. December 6, 2021 DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Nearly four decades after a Florida woman was found beaten to death, her body run over near a Delray Beach train station, city police have arrested a man they believe was responsibl...

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Stolen trust. Lost cases: How a Toronto cop stole from his force, fed an addiction and wasn’t charged


Growing number of officers have been caught stealing drugs police have taken off the streets, transforming their forces' evidence lockers into crime scenes. December 6, 2021 On his final day as a Toronto police officer, Det. Paul Worden sat down to an interview unlike any other in his 31-year career. Inside an Etobicoke conference room on a Friday ...

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Las Vegas police: 1979 cold case murder of Western High student solved


The evidence linked 19-year-old Johnny Blake Peterson as the suspect in Bryant's death, police said. November 24, 2021 LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced Monday that a cold case homicide from 1979 has been solved thanks to a donation from a local philanthropist. According to LVMPD Lt. Ray Spencer, the cold ca...

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Missing evidence prompts prosecutors to drop all charges against alleged drug dealer


"It's very upsetting, it's devastating. He's my only sibling," said Sharon Jonas, whose brother Gary Grubbs died two years ago from an overdose. November 24, 2021 PITTSBURGH — Prosecutors have dropped all charges against an alleged drug dealer after a mixup involving evidence against him. That's angering the sister of a man whose overdose death hel...

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LAPD Officer, 2 Others Hospitalized After Possible Fentanyl Exposure In Porter Ranch

officer who responded to the scene also reported feeling light-headed November 22, 2021 According to LAFD officials, a parole officer was conducting a check on a resident at the Sonoma at Porter Ranch apartment community. The parole officer reported feeling light-headed and saw a substance on a table inside the apartment, then called for backup. An...

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California sheriff's deputies say they didn't know it was illegal to lie about evidence on police reports: report

Two former Orange County sheriff's deputies told a California grand jury they did not know it was against the law to falsify police documents September 28, 2021 Two former Orange County sheriff's deputies told a California grand jury they did not know it was against the law to falsify police documents, an offense that led to their firing and convic...

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Officials: Bridgeport police officer resigns after being accused of stealing money during drug bust

Officials: Bridgeport police officer resigns after being accused of stealing money during drug bustNov 12, 2021, Enter Article DATE HERE A 21-year veteran of the Bridgeport Police Department has resigned after getting arrested while on the job, police say.The State's Attorney's Office says the career of former Officer Christopher Martin ended ...

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PA State Police Corporal Accused of Stealing Heroin from Evidence Room

November 14, 2021 Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Corporal Brian Rickard was charged today with crimes related to obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, forgery, tampering with records and evidence, theft, obstructing administration of law, and unlawful use of a computer. Charges were filed by the Pennsylvania State Po...

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Wrongfully convicted brothers awarded more than $80 million lawsuit against Robeson County, former sheriff, SBI


The convictions were overturned in 2014 after DNA was found on a cigarette butt left near Buie's body pointed to another man already in prison for a similar crime. May 17, 2021 Raleigh, N.C. — Two men falsely imprisoned for decades for the rape and murder of a young Robeson County girl were awarded more than $80 million in compensation their treatm...

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California sheriff's deputies say they didn't know it was illegal to lie about evidence on police reports: report

The sheriff's department says deputies are 'repeatedly' trained 'on evidence, chain of custody, and booking of evidence' Enter Article DATE HERE Two former Orange County sheriff's deputies told a California grand jury they did not know it was against the law to falsify police documents, an offense that led to their firing and conviction amid a...

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Attorney General says State Patrol can withhold policy for handling, storing evidence

The patrol has declined to say how the employee with 14 years of experience allegedly took the drugs from the Troop H evidence storage building in Lincoln November 1, 2021 The Nebraska State Patrol says it is continuing a review of its evidence handling and storage procedures following a security breach that resulted in $1.2 million in drugs being ...

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Evidence stolen from State Patrol facility results in 66 cases dismissed and potential for more

And more are likely coming. Oct 31, 2021 A month after news broke about the theft of more than $1.2 million worth of seized drugs from the Nebraska State Patrol's evidence room, it's led to dozens of cases being dismissed in Lincoln. And more are likely coming. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda said officials haven't yet finished t...

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Toronto homicide detective stole drugs from evidence lockers as many as 20 times

The incident is part of a small but growing number of cases involving officers stealing drugs from their police service's evidence lockers, in some circumstances after suffering injuries that left them with chronic pain. October 20, 2021 A former Toronto police homicide detective who resigned earlier this year after stealing opioids from the force'...

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8 Cars Engulfed In Flames At County Impound Lot: Fire Officials

The massive fire broke out early Thursday, officials say. "Thank God, no one was hurt. It was a big fire." October 29, 2021 WESTHAMPTON, NY — Eighteen vehicles were found engulfed in flames early Thursday at the Suffolk County impound lot on Old Country Road in Westhampton, officials said. According to Westhampton Beach Fire Department Chief Mauro ...

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Council urges city manager to find entity to complete purge for police evidence room

The purge is tied to the outcome of an audit which revealed there may be more missing from the evidence room than the initial $900 in cash that couldn't be found, triggering the need for an audit by an outside agency. October 25, 2021 ONTARIO — Following an executive session on Friday afternoon, the Ontario City Council gave the city manager marchi...

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Sheriff's No. 2 Apologizes For, But Doesn't Disavow, Viral Fentanyl Video

Video has been widely discredited by public health experts, toxicologists and doctors who said the widespread hysteria over handling fentanyl harmed the ability of police and first responders to treat people who do overdose. October 25, 2021 Undersheriff Kelly Martinez, the second in command at the San Diego County Sheriff's department, said she wa...

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Ex-Summerville officer accused of stealing guns also accused of stealing cash from evidence

Rollings admitted to stealing $7,493 in cash after being confronted about that amount of money which was found to be unaccounted for from the police evidence room.Enter Headline here October 14, 2021 SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A training history report from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy shows the former Summerville Police officer char...

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Court filing accuses police captain of evidence mishandling

Bauserman was accused of a "lack of accountability, process failures, lack of purging, failure to hold staff accountable and failure to document or process by policy." June 14, 2021 WINCHESTER — The city's police chief and commonwealth's attorney say alleged mishandling of evidence in the police department property room for seven years didn't compr...

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Cincinnati police officer under investigation for allegedly shelving rape DNA test results, prosecutor says

The officer "is accused of doing nothing. Enter Article DATE HERE CINCINNATI (WXIX) - The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office is investigating a veteran Cincinnati police officer for allegedly shelving rape DNA test results for years, potentially impacting hundreds of cases, according to Prosecutor Joe Deters. He identified the officer as Chri...

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Florida sheriff looking to return $2 Million in marijuana to rightful owner: 'Very least we can do'

 Sheriff Wayne Ivey has a history of using social media in a humorous way October 10,2021 A Florida sheriff has advertised on social media some 700 pounds of marijuana that authorities wanted to "return" to its rightful owner. The tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook by the Brevard County Sheriff's office argued the office was just trying to ...

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South Dakota woman convicted in her baby’s 1981 death

A South Dakota woman was convicted of manslaughter Friday in the death of her newborn son whose body was discovered in a ditch 40 years ago. October 10, 2021 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota woman was convicted of manslaughter Friday in the death of her newborn son whose body was discovered in a ditch 40 years ago. Theresa Bentaas, 60, of Si...

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