Ex-Chief "accidently" takes home $18,000 from the evidence room


Former Kentucky police chief accused in $25,000 theft going to jail in federal case September 15th, 2023 A former Kentucky police chief was sentenced Friday to five months behind bars after being accused of stealing more than $25,000. Jason D. Cross, who was police chief in Columbia, took the money between February 2020 and February 2021, according...

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Campton Hills police chief probe includes missing guns in evidence room, records show


Probe of Campton Hills police Chief Steven Millar appears to involve questions about missing guns and access to the police department's evidence room, records show. August 11, 2023 An ongoing Illinois State Police probe of Campton Hills police Chief Steven Millar appears to involve questions about missing guns and access to the police department's ...

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Investigation finds evidence tampering, missing drugs at Canton Police Department


The question remains--how does the Canton Police Department regain the trust from the community?Enter Headline here August 4, 2023 The Canton Police Department was put under investigation in May of 2022 after Canton Mayor Jarrod Phillips reported a number of employees had resigned. The investigation found over the course of seven years there has be...

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Court rules Vallejo illegally destroyed evidence in police killings


In a May ruling, Judge Stephen Gizzi found that the city violated the California Public Records Act when in 2021 officials destroyed evidence in multiple police shootings. June 30, 2023 Solano County judge has ruled in favor of Open Vallejo in a lawsuit over records of Vallejo police violence and misconduct. In a May ruling, Judge Stephen Gizzi fou...

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Oregon Department of Justice charges former Ontario Police sergeant for missing evidence


investigation began in August of 2021 when it was discovered that $900 cash was missing. That money, which was tied to a criminal case, was to be returned back to the victim after it had gone through the court system May 13, 2023 ONTARIO — A court case tied to missing evidence from Ontario Police Department has finally wrapped up, with a sergeant h...

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Attorneys: Evidence destroyed in criminal case of former Minneapolis police officer


Attorneys for Cummings claim the evidence in question includes GPS data, messages between Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) troopers who responded to the crash, as well as letters and email communications, requested under discovery.Enter Headline here September 27, 2022 Attorneys for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection to a fatal c...

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City of Wichita addresses concerns with WPD property and evidence


Layton said interim Police Chief Troy Livingston and an internal auditor will begin working to implement the aforementioned items September 28 2022 WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Wichita city leaders addressed concerns about potential problems with the Wichita Police Department's Property and Evidence facility on Monday. It comes after 12 NEWS sent an open...

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NAKAMOTO: Police chief denies taking missing money from evidence room


The missing money involves a homicide case, according to Iberville Parish Sheriff  June 20, 2022 ST. GABRIEL - St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau is denying any wrongdoing after search warrants were executed on his home and the police department this week.The warrants were done in conjunction with the Iberville Parish Sheriffs Office and th...

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More than $200,000 collected during drug raids goes missing from a police station safe, sparking an internal investigation as one officer takes stress leave


It's believed a senior officer has taken stress leave while investigation continues June 1, 2022 More than $200,000 in cash has allegedly gone missing from a police station, leading to one senior officer reportedly taking sick leave. An investigation has been launched into the alleged disappearance of the cash from a safe at western Sydney station....

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Alabama auditors cite chaotic evidence room, missing guns in Brookside


"Nineteen firearms listed on the Police Department's evidence log were not found during the inventory," April 15,2022 Alabama auditors today issued a scathing report on the town of Brookside, detailing haphazard treatment of evidence, missing guns, unexplained extra guns, an unmarked trash bag filled with prescription medicines, undocumented s...

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Changes implemented at Summerville PD following former officer's arrest

He was accused of taking nearly $7,500 from their evidence room. February 11, 2022  SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — New changes have been implemented at the Summerville Police Department. This comes after a third audit was completed by SLED after a former officer was accused of selling evidence to a pawn shop back in 2020. "Any time someone tarnish...

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Key evidence found in 40-year-old Broward murder cold case Wilton Manors police send physical items out for DNA testing

Since sitting down with police, they began looking for missing evidence. In an email, the police department said they have now located fingerprints and the physical evidence that was sent for testing. February 04, 2022 WILTON MANORS, Fla. – After a Local 10 investigation into the handling of a 40-year-old cold case, detectives are one step closer t...

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Council urges city manager to find entity to complete purge for police evidence room

The purge is tied to the outcome of an audit which revealed there may be more missing from the evidence room than the initial $900 in cash that couldn't be found, triggering the need for an audit by an outside agency. October 25, 2021 ONTARIO — Following an executive session on Friday afternoon, the Ontario City Council gave the city manager marchi...

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Reports detail missing items in case involving former Auburn detective

Two long guns and money amounting to $938 were discovered to be missing from the Auburn Police Department evidence room  Enter Article DATE HERE AUBURN — Two long guns and money amounting to $938 were discovered to be missing from the Auburn Police Department evidence room in the case that resulted in the arrest of retired Auburn Police D...

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Former Sheriff's Deputy Under Investigation

Evidence missing from Starke County, special investigatory missing Enter Article DATE HERE STARKE COUNTY, Ind. -- An investigation is underway at the Starke County Sheriff's Office after evidence was reported missing from both active and closed cases. A former deputy is also under investigation, according to multiple sources. The evidence was ...

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The City of Dallas discovered more police evidence is missing. Here’s what we know

City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of missing Dallas police evidence and files from the city secretary's office during its ongoing audit of a massive data deletion that occurred in April, a city spokeswoman said Monday.  August 31, 2021  City officials discovered an additional 15 terabytes of Dallas police evidence and f...

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Former Cyril police chief facing charges Alvin Pickens III

Investigators said Pickens confessed to taking it from the evidence room and then bought the speaker back from the store. August 5, 2021 CYRIL, Okla. (KSWO) -The former chief of police in Cyril is facing charges, accused of taking confiscated items. Alvin Pickens III is charged with knowingly concealing stolen property and two counts of petit larce...

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Dallas murder suspect to be released from jail while city determines if it lost evidence

Jonathan Pitts is the first defendant known to be impacted by the city's loss of police department data. August 14, 2021 Update 6:30 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details about how this could impact other court cases, a statement from Dallas police and to reflect that Pitts remained jailed. A murder suspect scheduled to go on trial t...

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Petersburg detective named in 2015 evidence room scandal retires after evidence found in ceiling, dumpster

Defense attorneys are still looking for answers. August 9, 2021 A Petersburg police detective who was banished from the department's evidence and property room six years ago amid a scandal involving missing evidence that included $13,000 has retired after he was linked to "hidden" evidence found in the ceiling of the office where he worked, in a du...

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Judge dismisses case after DA's office says critical evidence missing


Defense attorney who said his client was unlawfully indicted, spent unnecessary time in jail and was negatively impacted by a missing videotape  July 31, 2021 LAS CRUCES - A judge dismissed a case against a man accused of beating, robbing and attempting to sexually assault a massage parlor worker. The case was dismissed without prejudice, mean...

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Sheriff says county lost evidence in son's case

An investigation into the possibility the materials were lost or stolen after they were subpoenaed by the board's Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee September 30m 2020 Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. has requested an investigation into the Otsego County Attorney's Office, alleging it has withheld or lost material related to the 2017...

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Texas Sheriff Charged With Destroying Evidence In Officer-Related Death

Williamson County grand jury indictment accuses Chody of intentionally destroying or concealing video and audio recordings of the fatal encounter, which was filmed for the television show Live PD. September 30, 2020 A Texas sheriff has been indicted on felony charges of tampering with evidence in the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who was kille...

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State Police lost thousands of e-mails related to trooper overtime fraud case

The lack of evidence could put the prosecution of the high-profile criminal case in jeopardy. August 14, 2020 An attorney for a former Massachusetts State Police lieutenant charged with overtime pay fraud says the law enforcement agency has lost tens of thousands of e-mails related to the high-profile criminal case, pointing to records that suggest...

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Judge says Santa Fe violated law by failing to produce records requested by ex-cop

Santa Fe violated state law by failing to produce records concerning missing evidence requested by a retired police officer. Enter Article DATE HERE State District Judge Bryan Biedscheid has determined the city of Santa Fe violated state law by failing to produce records concerning missing evidence requested by a retired police officer. Biedsc...

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Turnabout for mayor who claimed he was smeared

  The police department as a collective organization isn't responsible for jeopardizing yet another criminal case. Webber says the blame belongs to former Detective. May 16, 2020 We've heard two sides of a sad story, and almost no one is satisfied. Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber says a now-retired police detective lost the physical evidence that h...

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Santa Fe Police Department loses evidence in child rape case

Ytuarte said he clearly remembers turning in the sexual assault examination kit to the department's evidence room and he's "deeply offended" by attempts to pin the blame on him. May 14, 2020 Cute  Physical evidence collected during a sexual assault examination of a 4-year-old girl in a 2018 case has gone missing, Santa Fe police officials ackn...

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A Man Awaiting Trial for Murder Is the First COVID-19-Related Death Connected to the DC Jail (Missing Evidence)

Trial was delayed due to federal prosecutors' failure to immediately notify the defense about missing body camera evidence. April 13, 2020 Delayed justice may have cost Deon Crowell his life. The 51-year-old was transported from the DC Jail to a hospital on April 7 after he tested positive for COVID-19. Less than a week later, he died of complicati...

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Justice Department watchdog finds flaws in how FBI handles missing firearms and keeps track of explosives

The Justice Department's internal watchdog found flaws in the ways that the FBI keeps track of its firearms, ammunition, nonlethal weaponry, and explosives, including those seized as evidence March 24, 2020 The FBI has "strong physical controls over its weapons, munitions, and explosives," DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found. But a report ...

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Sarasota Sheriff apologizes for destroying evidence in sexual assault, attempted murder cases

Prosecutors dropped charges; the suspect was recently sentenced to 25 years for a separate crime. March 19, 2020 SARASOTA — An antiquated policy led a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office lieutenant to destroy DNA evidence in two unsolved felony cases in the mid-2000s to make room in evidence storage, Sheriff Tom Knight said in a candid admission Wedne...

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At Least 91 Convictions Involved Missing Evidence, DA Says, Casting Doubt on Sheriff’s Statements

Internal Sheriff's Department audits – kept secret for two years by the former and current sheriff – had found hundreds of instances of late or missing evidence. January 29, 2020 An ongoing review of Sheriff's Department evidence problems has found 91 cases so far where someone was convicted of a crime but "evidence was either never booked or booke...

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Clovis Police detective charged with embezzling

In December,  Capt Romero found $144 in crumpled cash while searching Hernandez's desk in his office; Romero was looking for drug paraphernalia that had gone missing in an unrelated case. January 14, 2020 CLOVIS, N.M. — A Clovis police detective has been charged with embezzling $166 from a man he arrested in June. Francisco Hernandez, 33, face...

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Santa Fe police awaits results of evidence room audit

Jennifer Burrill, vice president of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said a third-party audit is a step in the right direction for the department. January 4, 2020 More than six months after the Santa Fe Police Department told the District Attorney's Office it had lost evidence in a first-degree murder case, it's still unknown ho...

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Forensic Felons: Criminals in the Oregon Crime Labs

Larsen pled guilty to tampering with evidence and theft of Schedule II type drugs through direct access to evidence in lockers while working out of Bend and Pendleton Oregon December 27, 2019 Nika Elise Larsen, a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator for Oregon State Police Crime Lab, faced a federal court on Aug. 15, 2016. Larsen pled gu...

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Surveillance Footage of Jeffrey Epstein's First Suicide Attempt Has Gone Missing (Missing Evidence!)

"We want to be sure that all the evidence is preserved to show that Nick behaved appropriately and even admirably that evening, December 18, 2019 The New York Post has learned that the surveillance footage taken outside the cell of Jeffrey Epstein during his first alleged suicide attempt at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York has gone ...

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Hollywood Police Department says missing evidence a thing of the past

"We believe the practices we have in place will prevent any problems in the future," November 20, 2019 When Hollywood police failed to keep track of their evidence room — losing $137,609 in cash and 1,096 pills — they got a sharp rebuke from a county watchdog agency for not catching the colossal error. The missing evidence cost the police departmen...

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Ex-officer appeals loss of certification

Case linked to evidence discrepancies November 15, 2019 BENTONVILLE -- A former Bella Vista police officer is appealing the loss of his law enforcement certification. Michael Kugler filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Benton County Circuit Court against the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training to have his certification reinstated. T...

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Lost ring from killer's burn barrel scuttles sheriff's office accreditation

Smith said the costume jewelry — a ring found in a burn barrel during a homicide investigation in 2016 — was checked out by an investigator about three months after he took office that same year. The ring was never returned. October 9, 2019 VERONA - The Augusta County Sheriff's Office was recently denied accreditation after a piece of costume jewel...

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Low river levels reveal 25-year-old evidence

The river dropping to allow recovery efforts continue for the crashed barges at the Webbers Falls dam is giving law enforcement a unique opportunity to dig up old evidence. September 7, 2019 BRAGGS, OK (KJRH) — A 25-year-old case had one piece of evidence that never turned up - a cash register said to have been thrown off Highway 10 into the Arkans...

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N4T Investigators: Lost files may doom cold case murder investigation

The victim's family wants someone held responsible August 29, 2019 DOUGLAS, Ariz. – It was a murder that took place in Douglas 33 years ago. The victim's family wants someone held responsible, but a simple mistake in the storage of police homicide files could prevent that from ever happening. Patricia Alvarez was only 23-years old when she was murd...

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Audit: Utah courts don’t adequately secure guns, drugs, other evidence


"Failure to provide adequate management controls and procedures may lead to lost, stolen or compromised evidence as well as a loss of public trust," auditors wrote. Enter Article DATE HERE SALT LAKE CITY — Unsecured evidence storage systems in Utah courts put guns, money, drugs and other items at risk of being stolen or tampered with, a new st...

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Judge Allows New Search for Missing Evidence in 1980 Iowa Slaying

Lawyers for an Iowa inmate serving a life sentence for a 1980 murder conviction will be allowed to search for missing evidence AUGUST 12, 2019 MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) – Lawyers for an Iowa inmate serving a life sentence for a 1980 murder conviction will be allowed to search for missing evidence that they want for DNA testing. Judge Stuart Werling has ...

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Missing evidence in Santa Fe murder case spurs internal investigation

Santa Fe police say an internal investigation is now underway to figure out how it got lost and re-evaluate evidence policies and procedures Enter Article DATE HERE SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – An investigation is underway after evidence in a Santa Fe murder investigation went missing. Christopher Garcia was arrested in 2017 for the murder of his g...

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State audit finds missing evidence, unsecured cash in various Utah police departments

Auditors found that out of the departments analyzed, five of the seven agencies had missing money, firearms, controlled substances or drug paraphernalia from their evidence lockers, according to the report. Enter Article DATE HERE ALT LAKE CITY — A Utah State Auditor's Office report highlighted shortcomings in how many police departments store...

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Evidence missing from Homerville Police Department

"I think that the law enforcement, whoever is behind the missing evidence, should be held accountable April 11, 2019 HOMERVILLE, GA (WALB) - South Georgia residents are speaking out as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) continues to look into missing evidence from the Homerville Police Department's evidence room. The Homerville Police Depart...

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Prosecutor: Trooper faces missing evidence investigation

State Police confirm Roos was temporarily relieved of duty January 8, 2019 DERBY, Vt. (AP) A Vermont county prosecutor says a state trooper is under investigation in connection with a report of missing evidence. According to records, Derby-based Sgt. David Roos was placed on paid leave in December without explanation. The Caledonian-Record reports ...

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UPDATE | Campbell chief placed on administrative leave

Audit found items missing from an evidence locker. December 28, 2018 CAMPBELL — Police Chief Dennis Puskarcik has been placed on leave after an internal audit found items missing from an evidence locker. Law Director Brian Macala said Mayor Nick Phillips placed Puskarcik on leave today. Macala said the audit was done at the request of the state Bur...

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Defense attorneys worry evidence missing after KCPD warehouse fire


Police Department. Defense attorneys say cases are stalling and they're not sure some evidence can be salvaged. September 14, 2018 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- We're now learning the impact of a fire that damaged an evidence warehouse used by the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department. Defense attorneys say cases are stalling and they're not sure some evidence ...

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2159 Hits

Murder charges dropped after gun goes missing before Brighton murder trial


The disarray in Brighton's evidence collection could be why charges were dropped this week in a 2015 murder case September 12, 2018 BRIGHTON, AL (WBRC) - A murder case has been dropped in Brighton after a gun and shell casings come up missing. Court documents say Brighton Police lost the critical evidence. Brighton's chief is reorganizing because o...

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Madison Co. sheriff charged with official misconduct, perjury


Enter Headline here September 10, 2018 BOZEMAN, Mont. — Madison County Sheriff Roger Thompson has been charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and perjury, according to court documents filed last week in Madison County District Court. The charges stem from an incident in June of last year involving a missing evidence bag of metham...

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Oregon Humane Society under investigation amid accusations of mishandled evidence


"serious allegations" that at least one officer mishandled evidence August 29, 2018 Oregon State Police have suspended the law-enforcement credentials of the Oregon Humane Society's animal-abuse officers, pending an investigation into "serious allegations" that at least one officer mishandled evidence and used improper investigative techniques in c...

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