Former deputy stole guns from evidence to sell

KUSA-TV, 9News, 9news.com
BYLINE: Mallory E Davis and Robert Garrison, KUSA

Lake County, CO


Former Lake County Deputy Sheriff William Berry was convicted of embezzlement and official misconduct Thursday.

LEADVILLE - A former Lake County deputy was convicted of stealing guns out of evidence and selling them. One of the guns he unlawfully bought from a crime witness,

William Berry was convicted Thursday of embezzlement and official misconduct. Prosecutors say Berry stole four firearms from an evidence room inside the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Berry sold three rifles and a .38 Colt semi-automatic handgun, which had been seized as evidence during an unrelated domestic violence investigation he had responded to.

Berry took the guns from the evidence room and convinced the wife of the domestic violence suspect into transferring ownership to him for $500. Berry told the victim the transfer was legal, because he was a "representative of the law."

The investigation began last summer after a buyer complained that that he didn't receive the gun he paid for from Berry. All four weapons were recovered and returned to the sheriff's office.

"I'm embarrassed that this happened within my office," Lake County Sheriff Rod Fenske said in July.

Berry faces up to three years in prison. He will be sentenced July 10.

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International Association for Property and Evidence
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