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) Observer-Reporter (http://bit.ly/2eyqYQw) reports that 30-year-old James Johnson V of Carroll Township pleaded guilty Thursday in Washington County to misdemeanor counts of theft, misapplication of entrusted property, obstruction and evidence-tampering.

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. Investigators said surveillance video recorded Johnson entering the room, and they said he acknowledged having stolen the drugs for personal use.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1.