COPS STILL CAN'T FIND SEIZED CASH

PAINTSVILLE -- Mismanagement and sloppy record keeping were cited Tuesday
by city police chief Larry VanHoose for the mysterious disappearance of
$5,000 in cash from the city police department's evidence lockup.

The police chief declined comment on specifics related to a Kentucky State
Police search for the cash, which was discovered missing after a judge
ordered earlier this month that all property confiscated during a drug bust
be returned to its owner.

VanHoose noted Tuesday that he implemented a new record-keeping system when
he first took the chief's post in January, and added that a new system for
storing and tracking evidence is also in the works since the cash was
determined to be missing.

The $5,000 was seized last year when Middle Fork resident Versie May "Beck"
Tackett was charged by former city policeman Brett Meadows with trafficking
marijuana and methamphetamines.

Those charges were dismissed earlier this year after Meadows reportedly
failed to attend court proceedings to testify for the prosecution.

Judge Susan M. Johnson ordered the return of the cash to its owner, Mary
Jackson, who signed an affidavit stating the cash belonged to her and was
in Tackett's possession for safekeeping.

VanHoose confirmed Tuesday that the missing evidence had not yet been
tracked down. The police chief declined comment when asked how many people
had access to the evidence, but he noted a system currently being used by
the department is much stricter and more thorough than the apparent laxed
practice of the former administration.

Vanhoose also said officers had begun taking inventory of evidence
remaining in city police possession to make certain that nothing else is
missing. He said this week that officers had not yet discovered any more
problems.

The chief did not say when he expected answers to the missing money case,
nor has he said if Meadows had been interviewed for information on the
process the former officer used to log the cash into evidence.

The former officer reportedly is now working for a Prestonsburg motel, but
he is still required to testify in his old cases if he is subpoenaed.