Times Herald-Record, recordonline.com
BYLINE: Victor Whitman, Times Herald-Record
Link to Article

Sullivan County, NY

MONTICELLO - A veteran Sullivan County sheriff’s deputy was charged with a felony Wednesday after an internal affairs investigation into the theft of prescription pills from an evidence locker.

Lamar Jackson, 40, an 11-year veteran, is accused of pocketing eight Percocet pain pills and $66 in cash that was turned over on Tuesday to the Sheriff’s Office as found property.

The Internal Affairs Department had a woman surrender a pocketbook to Jackson as an integrity test. He didn’t log in the pills or the money.

When confronted by investigators Tuesday night, Jackson admitted he had the pills and the money in each of his pockets, and that he had also taken Percocet from an evidence locker in September, Undersheriff Eric Chaboty said.

Jackson became a person of interest in the theft of six Percocet pills that went missing on Sept. 1 from the locker. Jackson had put evidence in the locker before the pills disappeared. A deputy discovered the pills missing and notified a supervisor. Sheriff Mike Schiff authorized an internal investigation.

Jackson was charged with tampering with evidence, a felony, and official misconduct, falsifying business records, criminal possession of a controlled substance and petty larceny, misdemeanors.

He was released pending a future court date in Monticello Justice Court.
He has been suspended from his $57,396 annual job.

Schiff credited Patrol Chief Blake Muthig, who heads internal affairs.

“It is unfortunate when something like this happens in any organization,” Schiff said. “I credit Blake Muthig, my chief of patrol and internal affairs officer, who was able to bring this time sensitive and very serious situation to an appropriate conclusion.”

vwhitman@th-record.com

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