#fired cop

A Polk County Sheriff’s officer was fired Thursday, Dec. 10 and an audit of the evidence room is currently being conducted after the officer admitted to taking evidence. Sgt. Chris Byers was put on leave in November after making the admission and a full investigation began, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office, District Attorney Greg Newman and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) are investigating the case. “Sgt. Chris Byers’ employment was terminated yesterday (Thursday) due to policy violations relating to the handling of evidence,” states a sheriff’s office release. “We believe the amount of the evidence that is in question is very small.”

An Austin police lieutenant was indefinitely suspended after it was determined that he failed to report another officer’s misconduct and then violated a confidentiality order while he tried to get an internal investigation shut down. Austin police Chief Art Acevedo fired Lt. Johnny McMiller on Monday, according to a disciplinary memo made public Tuesday. His dismissal stems from the 60-day suspension and demotion of Nathaniel Roberts, a police sergeant who spent six hours doing home repairs while he was scheduled to work with Capital Metro Rail.

A Covington police officer has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged stolen property out of DeKalb County, and has been terminated, according to the Covington Police Department. Alex Laudermilk, who was hired by the Covington Police Department in June 2013, was arrested Wednesday and, according to CPD Capt. Craig Treadwell, was terminated Thursday. A press release sent Wednesday night states that the CPD received an anonymous tip Sept. 22 from Crime Stoppers, which is a tip line where citizens can submit information anonymously about crime.

A former customs officer set to be sentenced over the importation of a key ingredient for the drug ice didn't play a major role in the operation, a court has heard. Christopher Cranney together with four other men, including former baggage handler David Harb, conspired to import pseudoephedrine from Vietnam, with police seizing about 40 kilograms of the substance - capable of making an estimated $9.5 million worth of ice - from an importation on June 6, 2012. On Friday, Sydney's District Court heard Cranney directed resources and monitored CCTV to help the baggage handler take suitcases containing pseudoephedrine from planes and off the airport precinct.

Austin police Chief Art Acevedo has fired an officer after a drunken driving arrest in May, but the police union is pushing back against the department’s zero-tolerance policy saying the officer deserved leniency. The firing late Wednesday came after the May arrest of officer Albert “Matt” Arevalo, who court records show was stopped after speeding 91 mph in a 55 mph zone. He pulled over at Covenant Presbyterian Church off North Mopac Boulevard (Loop 1), and an affidavit said he had a blood alcohol content of just more than twice the legal limit.