The Associated Press State & Local Wire
Scranton, PA
A police officer in northeastern Pennsylvania is accused of stealing thousands of dollars in cash from an evidence room.
State troopers arrested Scranton police Detective Leonard Ash Jr. on Tuesday and charged him with theft.
State police say Ash took about $8,000 and replaced it with blank sheets of paper.
The Lackawanna County district attorney's office discovered the money was missing about four months ago as it prepared for a forfeiture of the cash.
Ash has been suspended without pay. He has been with the Scranton Police Department for about 20 years.
Ash did not immediately return a phone message left at his home Tuesday night. A message left for a Scranton police spokesman also was not immediately returned.
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