Paoli officer charged, pleads guilty in missing evidence investigation

May 28, 2020

PAOLI, Ind. — Officials with Indiana State Police say a Paoli officer has been charged with conversion four months after an investigation.

It dates to January when Chief Randall Sanders of the Paoli Police Department requested ISP to investigate Officer Tyler Phillips.

Phillips was alleged to have taken items of evidence to his home and never placed them into evidence at the department. Police also allege he conducted a controlled buy of meth and kept it in his possession instead of putting it into evidence.

Police say during their investigation, they discovered several instances where evidence had gone missing from the evidence room at the department. Phillips also had several items of evidence in his possession that were also not placed into evidence.

On Tuesday, a special prosecutor charged Phillips with one count of conversion, which is a misdemeanor. He also plead guilty to the charge the same day in Orange County Superior Court.