Two WPD Officers In Hot Water
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Warsaw Police Chief Perry Hunter this morning made a recommendation for Faucett's termination from WPD during the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
The board approved holding the Sept. 30 hearing to discuss the issue. Faucett attended this morning's meetings with his attorneys, but did not speak.[[In-content Ad]]The board this morning also approved Joe Stanley's and Brian Martin's resignations. Stanley resigned Wednesday and Martin resigned Aug. 22, according to Warsaw Human Resources Director Jennifer Whitaker. Martin will be employed at the Carmel Police Department.
When Hunter was asked after the meeting to comment on Faucett, he referred the Times-Union to city attorney Mike Valentine who presented the newspaper with a preferral of charges report presented to board members by Hunter during the meeting.
At its July 17 meeting, the board approved the voluntary resignations and rank and pay reductions for WPD officers Faucett and Stanley.
Letters the board reviewed at its July 17 meeting stated that on July 8, Faucett requested to step down voluntarily as lieutenant of the detective division and transfer to the patrol division as a patrol officer on third shift. Also on July 8, Joe Stanley requested to voluntarily step down as the patrol division lieutenant to the position of patrol officer on third shift.
The Times-Union reported in its July 13 edition that Stanley was being investigated by Indiana State Police in connection with a gun that was confiscated during a WPD investigation.
In the report, Hunter said, "Faucett has demonstrated a pattern of gross negligence and misconduct in his responsibilities as lieutenant in charge of the detective division and as property clerk."
The report also stated Faucett demonstrated a pattern of poor performance by failing to complete case reports in a timely manner and by failing to submit evidence into the property room per his own direction. It also stated Faucett has attempted to conceal his detective police work.
The report states that on Oct. 10, 2008, Faucett filed a complaint for forfeiture with the Kosciusko County Circuit Court requesting the court to order firearms listed on the WPD disposition log be destroyed, and Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed signed an order to destroy 129 firearms pursuant to Indiana and Federal Law.
Those firearms are still located inside the property room at WPD, 10 months after the order was issued, the report stated.
The report said on July 10, a shift sergeant brought to Hunter's attention a WPD incident report dated Aug. 17, 2008, as to the whereabouts of two firearms, a Colt .380 Caliber pistol, and a Jiminez Arms .25 caliber pistol that were placed into an evidence locker and secured.
A recent check by those officers reveals that the firearms were not listed in the Inventory Trackers Evidence System. The firearms are associated with a criminal intimidation case filed in Kosciusko County Superior Court.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor Steve Hearn received a letter from the attorney representing the defendant who inquired as to the whereabouts of the two pistols because he felt he was getting "the runaround" at the police department.
At Hunter's request, WPD Capt. Scott Whitaker and WPD Lt. Bret Richardson audited the Inventory Trackers Evidence System and discovered that the firearms had been placed into evidence July 9, 11 months after the firearms had been placed in the evidence locker and one day after Faucett submitted his resignation letter.
On July 14, Hunter assigned the responsibility of property clerk to Detective Lee Ann Richardson, and Hunter requested Richardson continue an audit of the Inventory Trackers Evidence System to determine what other property had been recently entered into evidence.
Richardson's audit revealed the following: On July 9, Faucett entered a bank bag relating to a WPD incident number in regards to an armed robbery that occurred at Richard's Restaurant.
Hunter stated in the report he subsequently learned that Faucett assigned himself the Richard's Restaurant robbery investigation, and as of July 7 no documentation associated with the investigation had been submitted other that the initial patrol officer's report and an April 18 supplemental report by Patrol Officer Eric Coburn.
On April 6, Faucett received information on two potential suspects responsible for the robbery.
On July 25, Faucett was directed by Whitaker to provide a supplemental report turned in on July 29. The report reflects that on April 19 a female subject provided third-party information that Donald Barton Jr. and Ben Robinson had committed the Richard's Restaurant robbery. On April 24, Crime Stoppers received a tip that the persons who committed the Richard's Restaurant robbery were Barton and Robinson.
Faucett reported he was aware of the two suspects in April, yet failed to document any attempt to question either suspect.
Even though Faucett failed to enter several items into evidence prior to July 9, 2008, or June 12, 2009, Faucett entered three firearms into the Inventory Trackers System, the same day that Stanley submitted those three firearms into evidence.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Faucett and then Stanley had seized one of the firearms, the Remington .870 shotgun, during a consent to search Nov. 7, 2008, at 510 N. Columbia St., Warsaw, as part of a Kosciusko County Drug Task Force investigation. However, the shotgun was never placed into DTF evidence or the incident report Stanley assigned the weapon to, according to the report. Faucett accepted the Remington .870 shotgun into evidence along with two firearms associated with another DTF case, the report states.
None of the firearms placed into evidence were properly packaged per evidence procedures established by Faucett himself on April 30, 2008.
In February 2008, Faucett assigned a follow-up investigation regarding the Habegger burglary to himself, although he did not document his assignment in the Detective Case Management system as he expected others that he supervised to do.
On March 2008, as part of a follow-up investigation, Faucett went to a residence at 2284 S. Packerton Road, Warsaw, and seized an SKS rifle. However, Faucett failed to produce documentation that supported a consent to search, seizure and removal of an SKS rifle from the residence, and Faucett didn't place the rifle into the property room.
Additionally, as part of the investigation in March 2008, serial numbers pertaining to the reported stolen property in the Habegger burglary were provided to Faucett by Habegger and were never entered as stolen property.
On July 9, Faucett secretly placed the SKS rifle within the property room behind other property with no supporting documentation other than a sticky note. Faucett placed the SKS rifle inside the property room in violation of department policy without any identifiers (bar code, shelf designation, officer's name, incident report number, or the date it was placed), according to the report.
Faucett failed to follow WPD property and evidence packaging guidelines and procedures that he implemented April 30, 2008.
On July 24, Faucett had to be ordered by Whitaker to enter the SKS rifle into the Inventory Evidence Tracker System and to produce supplemental documentation pertaining to the consent to search and seizure of the rifle.
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Warsaw Police Chief Perry Hunter this morning made a recommendation for Faucett's termination from WPD during the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
The board approved holding the Sept. 30 hearing to discuss the issue. Faucett attended this morning's meetings with his attorneys, but did not speak.[[In-content Ad]]The board this morning also approved Joe Stanley's and Brian Martin's resignations. Stanley resigned Wednesday and Martin resigned Aug. 22, according to Warsaw Human Resources Director Jennifer Whitaker. Martin will be employed at the Carmel Police Department.
When Hunter was asked after the meeting to comment on Faucett, he referred the Times-Union to city attorney Mike Valentine who presented the newspaper with a preferral of charges report presented to board members by Hunter during the meeting.
At its July 17 meeting, the board approved the voluntary resignations and rank and pay reductions for WPD officers Faucett and Stanley.
Letters the board reviewed at its July 17 meeting stated that on July 8, Faucett requested to step down voluntarily as lieutenant of the detective division and transfer to the patrol division as a patrol officer on third shift. Also on July 8, Joe Stanley requested to voluntarily step down as the patrol division lieutenant to the position of patrol officer on third shift.
The Times-Union reported in its July 13 edition that Stanley was being investigated by Indiana State Police in connection with a gun that was confiscated during a WPD investigation.
In the report, Hunter said, "Faucett has demonstrated a pattern of gross negligence and misconduct in his responsibilities as lieutenant in charge of the detective division and as property clerk."
The report also stated Faucett demonstrated a pattern of poor performance by failing to complete case reports in a timely manner and by failing to submit evidence into the property room per his own direction. It also stated Faucett has attempted to conceal his detective police work.
The report states that on Oct. 10, 2008, Faucett filed a complaint for forfeiture with the Kosciusko County Circuit Court requesting the court to order firearms listed on the WPD disposition log be destroyed, and Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed signed an order to destroy 129 firearms pursuant to Indiana and Federal Law.
Those firearms are still located inside the property room at WPD, 10 months after the order was issued, the report stated.
The report said on July 10, a shift sergeant brought to Hunter's attention a WPD incident report dated Aug. 17, 2008, as to the whereabouts of two firearms, a Colt .380 Caliber pistol, and a Jiminez Arms .25 caliber pistol that were placed into an evidence locker and secured.
A recent check by those officers reveals that the firearms were not listed in the Inventory Trackers Evidence System. The firearms are associated with a criminal intimidation case filed in Kosciusko County Superior Court.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor Steve Hearn received a letter from the attorney representing the defendant who inquired as to the whereabouts of the two pistols because he felt he was getting "the runaround" at the police department.
At Hunter's request, WPD Capt. Scott Whitaker and WPD Lt. Bret Richardson audited the Inventory Trackers Evidence System and discovered that the firearms had been placed into evidence July 9, 11 months after the firearms had been placed in the evidence locker and one day after Faucett submitted his resignation letter.
On July 14, Hunter assigned the responsibility of property clerk to Detective Lee Ann Richardson, and Hunter requested Richardson continue an audit of the Inventory Trackers Evidence System to determine what other property had been recently entered into evidence.
Richardson's audit revealed the following: On July 9, Faucett entered a bank bag relating to a WPD incident number in regards to an armed robbery that occurred at Richard's Restaurant.
Hunter stated in the report he subsequently learned that Faucett assigned himself the Richard's Restaurant robbery investigation, and as of July 7 no documentation associated with the investigation had been submitted other that the initial patrol officer's report and an April 18 supplemental report by Patrol Officer Eric Coburn.
On April 6, Faucett received information on two potential suspects responsible for the robbery.
On July 25, Faucett was directed by Whitaker to provide a supplemental report turned in on July 29. The report reflects that on April 19 a female subject provided third-party information that Donald Barton Jr. and Ben Robinson had committed the Richard's Restaurant robbery. On April 24, Crime Stoppers received a tip that the persons who committed the Richard's Restaurant robbery were Barton and Robinson.
Faucett reported he was aware of the two suspects in April, yet failed to document any attempt to question either suspect.
Even though Faucett failed to enter several items into evidence prior to July 9, 2008, or June 12, 2009, Faucett entered three firearms into the Inventory Trackers System, the same day that Stanley submitted those three firearms into evidence.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Faucett and then Stanley had seized one of the firearms, the Remington .870 shotgun, during a consent to search Nov. 7, 2008, at 510 N. Columbia St., Warsaw, as part of a Kosciusko County Drug Task Force investigation. However, the shotgun was never placed into DTF evidence or the incident report Stanley assigned the weapon to, according to the report. Faucett accepted the Remington .870 shotgun into evidence along with two firearms associated with another DTF case, the report states.
None of the firearms placed into evidence were properly packaged per evidence procedures established by Faucett himself on April 30, 2008.
In February 2008, Faucett assigned a follow-up investigation regarding the Habegger burglary to himself, although he did not document his assignment in the Detective Case Management system as he expected others that he supervised to do.
On March 2008, as part of a follow-up investigation, Faucett went to a residence at 2284 S. Packerton Road, Warsaw, and seized an SKS rifle. However, Faucett failed to produce documentation that supported a consent to search, seizure and removal of an SKS rifle from the residence, and Faucett didn't place the rifle into the property room.
Additionally, as part of the investigation in March 2008, serial numbers pertaining to the reported stolen property in the Habegger burglary were provided to Faucett by Habegger and were never entered as stolen property.
On July 9, Faucett secretly placed the SKS rifle within the property room behind other property with no supporting documentation other than a sticky note. Faucett placed the SKS rifle inside the property room in violation of department policy without any identifiers (bar code, shelf designation, officer's name, incident report number, or the date it was placed), according to the report.
Faucett failed to follow WPD property and evidence packaging guidelines and procedures that he implemented April 30, 2008.
On July 24, Faucett had to be ordered by Whitaker to enter the SKS rifle into the Inventory Evidence Tracker System and to produce supplemental documentation pertaining to the consent to search and seizure of the rifle.
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