VOLUSIA SHERIFF SAYS EMPLOYEE TOOK DRUGS

Cocaine And Marijuana Worth $456,000 Missing

DELAND -- A thief within the ranks of the Volusia County Sheriff's
Office has stolen nearly half a million dollars' worth of marijuana
and cocaine from the department's evidence compound, an angry Sheriff
Ben Johnson announced Monday.

Johnson said one employee, whom he would not identify, is suspected of
stealing at least 370 pounds of marijuana and 859 grams -- about 1.89
pounds -- of cocaine during the past two years. The missing drugs were
estimated to be worth $456,000. Investigators fear those drugs are
back on the street, and ongoing criminal cases could be in jeopardy.

Sheriff's officials discovered that evidence was missing earlier this
month after a defense attorney noticed that investigators claimed to
have seized about 577 grams of cocaine but Florida Department of Law
Enforcement lab results showed only about half that amount had been
tested. When investigators went to find the evidence a few days later,
the other half was gone.

Johnson said it was unclear Monday what impact the missing evidence
would have on that case or any others in which evidence is now missing.

"There is always a possibility that it could hurt some of our cases,"
Johnson said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement are investigating the thefts. The Sheriff's Office,
meanwhile, is also conducting an internal investigation and said an
arrest is imminent.

Johnson said it appears that only one person is involved. He would
describe the suspect only as a once-trusted employee who was a
military veteran and came highly recommended. That person had not been
arrested Monday but is no longer working at the Sheriff's Office,
Johnson said.

The Sheriff's Office has launched a physical review of the more than
60,000 pieces of evidence housed at the compound near DeLand. So far
investigators have confirmed only the missing marijuana and cocaine
but suspect that additional drugs have been taken, said Gary Frazee,
director of professional standards for the department.

Evidence from six cases, including four active investigations, has
been discovered missing so far, but investigators may never know the
full extent of what was taken. That's because investigators think the
suspect also stole drugs that were about to be destroyed and replaced
them with imitations, Johnson said.

The physical inventory of evidence will go on for several more weeks,
said Frazee, who is leading the review. Since the audit started a few
weeks ago, five sheriff's employees have been spending eight to 10
hours a day trying to determine what else may be missing. Five others
joined the effort Monday and are expected to spend several more weeks
cataloguing evidence.

The department last conducted a physical review of evidence shortly
after Johnson won election in 2000. At the time, everything was
accounted for.

In October, Frazee started a review of the evidence section after
audio and videotape evidence was misplaced. Investigators found no
criminal wrongdoing at the time but decided to tighten policies and
procedures, including how people gained access to evidence.

"The weakness is not in the policies and procedures -- they are in
place" Frazee said. "Had they been followed, this wouldn't have happened."

The agency's evidence procedures were also given the stamp of approval
by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in
December 2002.

"It's a very well-witnessed and logged procedure," commission program
manager Steve Mitchell said Monday afternoon from the group's national
headquarters in Fairfax, Va.

Accredited agencies keep a separate room or vault for seized drugs and
other valuable property that is accessible only to property clerks. In
the case of the Volusia Sheriff's Office, four buildings, accessed
through locked, steel doors, house evidence. Large amounts of seized
drugs are kept in former jail cells in a locked room with additional
padlocks on each cell door. There are no security cameras.

Frazee said two employees were supposed to be present any time the
former jail cells were opened.

The suspect used his position not only to gain access to the area
alone, but to take the drugs without being noticed, Frazee said.

"He had access," said Frazee, who also is in charge of the evidence
audit. "The system broke down in that anyone could get the key."

Gary Davidson, a spokesman for Johnson's office, said the
investigation was made public Monday even though investigators weren't
ready to make an arrest as part of what he described as Johnson's
efforts to be open and upfront with the public.

"Sheriff Johnson was committed to bringing this information to the
public. He felt like we had an obligation to keep the public . . .
informed about our operations, and obviously there is going to be a
great deal of public interest in these chain of events," Davidson
said. "Sheriff Johnson, since the day he took office, committed to
having an open, honest, accessible relationship with the news media
and public and that means standing up and being accountable when
things go wrong as well as when they go right."

Of the suspect hearing news accounts of the investigation, Davidson
said, "I can tell you it's not going to be a surprise to this
individual that he is a target of a criminal investigation."