Ex-Nassau Bay officer charged with theft, evidence-tampering

Houston Chronicle, chron.com
BYLINE: Mike Glenn

Nassau Bay, TX

A former Nassau Bay police officer is accused of stealing cash and tampering with narcotics evidence from the department's property room, authorities said on Monday.

Theresa Relken is charged with stealing $500 from the Nassau Bay Police Department's property room that she managed. Harris County prosecutors said Relken, 41, also tampered with pills that were seized by another Nassau Bay officer.

The case began when an intern working in the Harris County District Attorney's Office discovered that prescription pills from an ongoing investigation were never sent in for analysis.

The missing pills were traced to Relken. An audit uncovered shortages in the inventory of narcotics that should have been in the evidence room, prosecutors said.

Relken was charged Monday with tampering with evidence and theft by a public servant. She faces up to 12 years in prison and a $20,000 fine if convicted on both charges.

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