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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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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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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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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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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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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Judge rules against dismissed police officer

September 19, 2021 WINCHESTER — A Winchester Circuit Court judge has ruled against a former city police officer who claimed he was unfairly disciplined and subsequently fired over his job performance. In a ruling filed this week, Judge Bruce D. Albertson said the Winchester Police Department was within its rights to discipline Capt. Leonard M. Baus...

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Officer is 'going to be fine' after accidental shooting at LMPD Property Room, chief says

Shields said the officer was cleaning his service revolver when he accidentally discharged the weapon, suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach area. September 8, 2021 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville Metro Police officer was taken to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the stomach Wednesday afternoon in the LMPD Property Room, Chief ...

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State police decline prosecutor's request to probe Petersburg detective's misplaced evidence

It's just somebody not following the policies and procedures of their agency," police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. "That's not criminal. That's administrative violations." September 4, 2021 State police have declined Petersburg Commonwealth's Attorney Tiffany Buckner's request to investigate misplaced evidence problems within the Petersbur...

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Florida police solve 35-year-old murder cold case with advances in DNA technology

The suspect was sentenced to life in prison for a separate murder in 1999 and died in 2015 August 15, 2021 After 28-year-old Denise Marie Stafford was murdered in 1985 in Sarasota, Florida, the case went cold for decades despite investigators' best efforts at finding her killer. Now, thanks to advancements in DNA technology, the Sarasota Police Dep...

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Petersburg detective named in 2015 evidence room scandal retires after evidence found in ceiling, dumpster

Defense attorneys are still looking for answers. August 9, 2021 A Petersburg police detective who was banished from the department's evidence and property room six years ago amid a scandal involving missing evidence that included $13,000 has retired after he was linked to "hidden" evidence found in the ceiling of the office where he worked, in a du...

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Gun auction to raise money for sheriff’s office

Sheriff says he couldn't remember when the department upgraded any of their equipment, operating off of an old analog radio system for many years. July 31, 2021  A gun auction is new for Sheriff Terry Miller, but the need for new equipment isn't. "This is the first auction that we've had since I've been in office since 2015," Miller said. "[Ne...

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Wise County prosecutor drops charges in 31 cases linked to Pound Police Department

"The Town of Pound Town Council created a situation in which the preservation of evidence in numerous pending cases has been questioned," July 28, 2021 WISE — Thirty-one people facing charges connected to Pound Police Department investigations will see their cases dropped after a motion filed Wednesday by Wise County and Norton Commonwealth's Attor...

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Man arrested in 1988 cold case murder of 8-year-old Roswell boy

DNA evidence linked him to the death of Joshua Harmon. July 23, 2021 ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police have arrested a Woodstock man in the 1988 murder of an 8-year-old boy. James Michael Coates, 56, was taken into custody on July 21 and booked on multiple charges including murder after DNA evidence linked him to the death of Joshua Harmon. Joshua was ...

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Police officer fired as BRPD drug corruption investigation deepens

Acree is accused of stealing drugs out of the evidence room. July 20, 2021 BATON ROUGE - A police officer tied to the ongoing corruption investigation within the Baton Rouge Police drug squad has been fired, the WBRZ Investigative Unit learned Wednesday. Multiple sources shared details of the firing with WBRZ's Chris Nakamoto and the Investigative ...

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UPDATE: Ex-Chadbourn police chief, facing over 80 charges, given additional bond

Former top cop is accused of repeatedly raiding the police department's evidence room and stealing a variety of narcotics, thousands of dollars in cash, and firearms. July, 17, 2021 OLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Former Chadbourn Police Chief Anthony Spivey was given a $300,000 unsecured bond in court Thursday, which is in addition to his already st...

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Evidence in the West Memphis Three case 'likely lost or destroyed'

Attorneys said evidence recently needed for DNA testing is missing.  July 13, 2021 WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — It's a case that caught national attention for decades, the West Memphis Three. Attorneys said evidence recently needed for DNA testing is missing. Patrick Benca, one of Damien Echols's attorneys, said he fears missing this evidence will nev...

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Retired Radford Police Officer pleads guilty to taking evidence room money

chief Jeff Dodson said he knows situations like this endanger public trust, but he wants the public to know this was an isolated incident June 15, 2021 A former Radford police officer has been convicted after admitting he took money from the evidence room. The now-retired Lieutenant Andy Wilburn plead guilty after being charged last Friday to one m...

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Legislation to increase sexual assault kit regulations signed into law

A tracking system will be made accessible to those who have been assaulted, and provide them updates on their kits and their case July 1, 2021 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Gail's Law, a bill that would ensure all sexual assault kits are tracked and recorded in Florida, is now law. The bill was named after longtime sexual assault advocate Gail Gardner...

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Unsecured weapons, unserved warrant, unpaid bills, missing police dog: Pound police chief outlines problems

The town's evidence situation may have contributed to a mistrial in Wise County this week June 29, 2021 POUND — Even before getting into budget matters on Tuesday, the Pound Council got a hard look at what its police department left in its wake after disbandment almost two months ago. Interim Police Chief Chris Wilcox, in his report to the council,...

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Former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent and Task Force Officer Convicted of Conspiracy and Conversion of Property

June 16, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent and Task Force Officer Convicted of Conspiracy and Conversion of Property A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent and a former DEA task force officer were convicted Tuesday by a federal jury in New Orleans, Louisiana, in connection wit...

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Roughly 50 buried pill bottles discovered in backyard where retired SPD sergeant once lived

A bizarre backyard discovery in Haughton, La., now is at the center of a major investigation by narcotics detectives with the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office. Enter Article DATE HERE On May 18 at a residence on Grapevine Lane in the Forest Hills neighborhood, the home's owner dug up a surprise. Roughly 50 old medicine bottles, buried about hal...

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Retired Radford Police Officer pleads guilty to taking evidence room money

Radford police discovered a discrepancy in funds that were stored as criminal evidence. June 16, 2021 A former Radford police officer has been convicted after admitting he took money from the evidence room. The now-retired Lieutenant Andy Wilburn plead guilty after being charged last Friday to one misdemeanor count of Malfeasance in Public Office T...

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Sheriff’s office upgrades evidence room with grant

Money was used to complete ventilation work in the department's evidence room for the health and safety of the evidence custodians. May 31, 2021 The Hardin County Sheriff's Office updated its evidence room thanks to a grant from the Kentucky Association of Counties. Sheriff John Ward said the association recently awarded the department a $1,000 saf...

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Twiggs County Major pleads guilty to stealing money from evidence room

GBI said he stole more than $1,500 that was taken from a suspect in a traffic stop and stored in the evidence room Enter Article DATE HERE TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — A former Twiggs County Sheriff's Office major received a six-month sentence Tuesday after he admitted to stealing money from his department's evidence room. Twiggs County court records ...

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Hot potato: Who will accept the keys to Pound’s police evidence room?

"Council, without taking into account responsibilities in maintaining a police department, has eliminated its police department,"  May 19, 2021 POUND — There were no takers on Wednesday for a court order to put Pound's police evidence room key in the custody of a Virginia law enforcement officer. Wise County and Norton Common- wealth's Attorne...

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Va. town votes to fire ‘every officer in its police department,’ including chief

The town has demanded that the police chief hand over the keys to the evidence storage room May 24, 2021 By Suzie Ziegler POUND, Va. — The town of Pound, Virginia, has removed its police chief and terminated all other police officers, reported WYMT. According to a petition filed earlier this week, town officials voted on Tuesday to fire "every...

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Brothers wrongfully convicted of rape and murder get $75 million in compensation decades later

In 2014, both Brown and McCollum were exonerated and released from prison after DNA from a cigarette collected at the crime scene was tested and ultimately tied another person to the crime. May 17, 2021 A federal jury has awarded $75 million to two brothers in North Carolina, decades after they were convicted of rape and murder they did not commit....

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Ex-BRPD narcotics detective faces third arrest, this time for lying in police reports


Acree was first arrested in February after investigators accused him of stealing marijuana from the narcotics evidence room and giving the drugs to his friend. May 17, 2021 A former detective with the Baton Rouge Police Department faces his third arrest in recent months — this time for lying in police reports — amid an ongoing corruption probe into...

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SLED: Former Ninety Six police officer stole from evidence room

Warrants allege he stole $6,760 from the Ninety Six Police Department's evidence room. May 11, 2021 A week after a Ninety Six police officer was charged with domestic violence, he has found himself facing a new charge: stealing from his former employer. Agents with the State Law Enforcement Division arrested Charles Michael Waters Jr. on Monday and...

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Ex-police chief indicted on 88 counts in evidence theft case

The indictment shows that several firearms were stolen by Spivey from the evidence locker  May 7 , 2021 WHITEVILLE, N.C. — A former North Carolina police chief who resigned last month amid an investigation into missing evidence has been indicted on 88 felony counts, authorities announced Friday. William Anthony Spivey was indicted by a Columbu...

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Dozens more drug charges dismissed by prosecutors due to BRPD corruption

Jason Acree's arrest for stealing drugs out of the evidence room and obstruction of justice. April 27, 2021 BATON ROUGE - Prosecutors dismissed an additional 72 drug charges against defendants with pending cases tied to corruption in the Baton Rouge Police Department's narcotics division. The charges that were dismissed involve more than a doz...

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Louisiana Man Arrested in Cold Case of 19-Year-Old Girl Whose Body Was Found In Abandoned Building: Police

Coco was last seen by her mother, Stephanie Belgrade, a few days earlier. Her body was found in an abandoned building in Winnie, Texas April 24, 2021 Courtney Coco was last seen by her mother a few days before she vanished. Her death was ruled a homicide. Her parents never gave up on getting their daughter justice. A Louisiana man has been arrested...

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DNA profiling wasn’t known to police when crime was committed in 1985

Enter Headline here April 24, 2021 A Florida man has been charged with murder more than three decades after the brutal kidnapping and rape of an elderly woman who died several days after she was dumped on the side of a road. Richard Lange, 61, of Boynton Beach was taken into custody Thursday after cold case detectives with the Palm Beach County She...

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INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Narcotics officer at center of corruption case seen on camera smashing evidence

"We don't destroy potential evidence to seize evidence," Borghardt said. "You don't have the right to destroy property as police. April 23, 2021 BATON ROUGE - As the handling of evidence continues to be the focus of an internal criminal investigation at Baton Rouge Police, new video obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit captures an officer at the...

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Ex-Chadbourn police chief stole hundreds of pills, $32K in cash, guns from evidence locker, warrants allege

The former top cop in the town of Chadbourn repeatedly raided the police department's evidence room and stole a variety of narcotics, thousands of dollars in cash, and firearms APRIL 21, 2021 CHADBOURN, N.C. (WECT) - The former top cop in the town of Chadbourn repeatedly raided the police department's evidence room and stole a variety of narcotics,...

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Fairfax seeks to dismiss 400 convictions in cases brought by one officer


A former patrol officer who is accused of stealing drugs from the police property room April 16, 2021 Fairfax County prosecutors are moving to throw out more than 400 criminal convictions based on the testimony or work of a former patrol officer who is accused of stealing drugs from the police property room, planting drugs on innocent people and st...

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BRPD narcotics detective, already facing drug charges, arrested again amid ongoing probe


The memo included specific accusations about Acree taking marijuana from the evidence room and giving it to his friend April 14, 2021 A detective with the Baton Rouge Police Department was arrested late Wednesday afternoon, his second arrest in recent weeks amid an ongoing corruption probe focused on the BRPD narcotics division. Jason Acree, 34, ha...

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Missing money at LPD spurs investigation

City Attorney - funds "have went amiss" at Livingston Police Department.  April 7,2021 An investigation is underway concerning missing money at Livingston Police Department, according to Livingston City Attorney John Meadows. Meadows informed the Board of Alderman of the investigation during the Monday, April 5 monthly meeting. Meadows be...

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3 Polk deputies accused of tampering with evidence after money goes missing

All three deputies resigned following their arrests March 23, 2021 POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Three former Polk County deputies face charges after money went missing from an arrest in December, according to the sheriff's office. John Raczynski, Jamal Lawson and Garrett Cook were all arrested Friday, according to a news release, and each resigned upon bein...

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BRPD narcotics officer arrested for dealing drugs after investigation into 'police corruption'


The arrest came after another officer witnessed Acree stealing marijuana that had been seized as evidence FEBRUARY 26, 2021 A narcotics officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department was booked into jail Friday night, accused of stealing drugs seized as evidence and giving them to his friend. The officer was identified as Corporal Jason Acree, 34, ...

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TBI investigates fire that sparked at the Morgan County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Potter and the responding fire departments had every thing under control. March 1, 2021 MORGAN COUNTY, Tenn. — Authorities in Morgan County asked TBI to help determine the cause of a fire at the sheriff's office. There was a fire this evening in one area of the upstairs level of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, per Sheriff Wayne Potter. ...

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Former Chattanooga officer charged with eight violations after taking firearms from dead individuals in Feb. 2020

In Feb. 2020, former Chattanooga officer Eric Brown responded to two different calls. Both calls involved someone who died and left behind a firearm. February 20, 2021 A former Chattanooga Police Department officer is under fire after a year-long investigation showed eight violations of CPD's code of conduct, including Class A misdemeanors, crimina...

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Twiggs County Major charged with stealing money from evidence room and Paste Content Here

The sheriff requested the GBI after internal audits and a search of the evidence room January 26, 2021 TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested a now-former employee of the Twiggs County Sheriff's Office, and charged him with theft and violating his oath of office. According to a news release, 51-year-old Maj. William C...

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Potential key evidence missing in case against KY lawmaker accused of assault

The Laurel County Sheriff's Office lost the recording of the interview with Ashley Goforth, January 14, 2021 Police have lost a potentially important piece of evidence in the case of a Kentucky state representative accused of strangling his wife, according to defense attorneys. The evidence at issue is a digital recording of police interviewing the...

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Police make arrest in northern Virginia rapes from 1991

DNA evidence resubmitted for analysis by a cold case unit yielded a hit that led officers to Thomson December 2, 2020 RLINGTON, Va. (AP) - A 63-year-old man from Virginia's Northern Neck has been charged with a series of rapes and assaults that occurred nearly 30 years ago near a northern Virginia Metrorail station. Arlington County Police announce...

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Laurens Co. Sheriff's Office using penny sales tax for new evidence room

Enter Headline here November 21, 2020 LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Laurens County Administrator John Caime is excited for the future. "Right now we are in the process of re-finalizing the entire county," he told FOX Carolina. "This sales tax is a wonderful tool for us to be able to address a lot of different things." He says quality of lif...

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Columbia Police set to destroy more than 1,300 drugs from old cases

Holbrook insisted the drugs were being disposed because the cases have closed, not because of any space issues in the evidence vault, November 11, 2020 Police departments often pay lip service to eradicating illegal drugs in the community. On Tuesday, Columbia City Council made way for the Columbia Police Department to literally eradicate at least ...

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Knox County Criminal Court Clerk asks judge to remove chemicals from Joel Guy Jr. trial evidence

Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond asked Judge Steve Sword to remove the hazardous chemicals currently stored in evidence, November 6, 2020 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)- Joel Guy Jr., who was convicted of murdering and dismembering his parents over Thanksgiving weekend in 2016, was back in a Knox County courtroom Friday for a hearing related to evidence ...

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