Flagler Co. Deputy Accused Of Grand Theft

Jacksonville News, news4jax.com

Flagler County, FL

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. -- A Flagler County Sheriff's deputy was arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of grand theft and official misconduct in connection with missing funds from the agency's evidence room.

Matthew Koenig, 40, was arrested around 3 p.m. at the Flagler County office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza following a three-month investigation into the missing funds.

Koenig, who has been with the Sheriff's Office since 1998, is charged with taking nearly $5,000 cash from envelopes stored in the evidence division. The cash was currency seized in criminal cases and was being held until the cases were disposed of in court. Koenig was able to access the evidence room property through his position as evidence technician, deputies said.

The investigation revealed that cash inside 12 evidence envelopes had been removed and replaced with paper towels, deputies said. Investigators determined that $4,847 was missing. The deputy was matched to the theft through DNA testing on the envelopes and the paper towels, deputies said. Investigators said they also found unexplained deposits into Koenig's personal account from 2009 to 2010.

Investigators said the discovery of the missing cash occurred in late October when another evidence technician went to retrieve a case envelope and found the cash was missing. An internal audit of the evidence commenced and then the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was asked to assist.

Koenig was booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility with bond set at $2,000. He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave from the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said that as a result of the investigation, procedure modifications have been made to the evidence division.

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International Association for Property and Evidence
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