Former Harrison County Sheriff Deputy charged with felony of tampering with physical evidence

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Lawson is accused of destroying the original evidence log with the purpose to impair or obstruct investigations related to public corruption, felony tampering, and/or felony distribution of a controlled substance.

January 14, 2021

A former Harrison County Sheriff Deputy has been charged with two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution and misdemeanor tampering with a public record.

Forty-three-year-old Kevin Lawson of Gilman City is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on February 3^rd.

A probable cause statement from Corporal Adam McAtee with the Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control says he began an investigation in June 2020 into allegations of Harrison County Sheriff's Office employees mishandling evidence, destroying sheriff's office official documents, misused confidential informants, and abused their authority. That is when McAtee identified Lawson as committing the offenses.

Lawson is accused of destroying the original evidence log with the purpose to impair or obstruct investigations related to public corruption, felony tampering, and/or felony distribution of a controlled substance. He is also accused of failing to document a lawfully seized controlled substance on the evidence log.

McAtee reports Lawson advised Sheriff Trevor Place that he destroyed or burned the evidence logs, Place took control of the Evidence Room in March 2020, and Place was unable to locate the original logs. Lawson allegedly said he disposed of two pages of the logs. Lawson was responsible for documentation of evidence from 2016 to 2019.