The exam began in December and will continue, said Hirsch. Lt. Summerville Police Department’s Chris Hirsch said the department is conducting the exam with assistance from the state law enforcement department after former officer Wade Rollings was arrested in December on charges of stealing nearly $ 7,500 in cash from the department.
In August, the examination revealed that four firearms were also missing from the evidence room, Hirsch said.
SLED investigated the disappearance and found that Rollings had sold the guns to a pawn shop on December 14, two days after his arrest on charges of stealing $ 7,439 from the evidence room.
Theft or manipulation of evidence can endanger pending criminal proceedings. As part of a so-called chain-of-custody procedure, police officers carefully document the transport and control of evidence from collection to disposal. Prosecutors rely on this procedure to prove the integrity of the evidence in the process.
First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe said last week that he knew the stolen firearms would not affect law enforcement. The route includes Summerville and Dorchester Counties.
Hirsch confirmed that none of the stolen firearms were tied to ongoing cases.
“It would be inappropriate for our agency to comment on an investigation that is being carried out by another agency,” said Hirsch.
The lieutenant did not want to say whether all the firearms sold to the pawn shop had been seized by the authorities.
SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said it was inappropriate to comment on the pending case.
Rollings, 46, was charged with aggrieved theft and misconduct in the office related to the firearms theft in the 14th District Attorney’s Office on October 13. This case is being handled in the 14th district in the southern part of the state to avoid possible conflict.
The money theft investigation began on December 7th after Rollings itself reported a lack of funds, according to an incident report.
Rollings said Hirsch received a voicemail from a Dorchester County attorney asking about approximately $ 7,439 associated with a case that was near resolution. He said that when he looked in the safe, the bag with the money was missing.
Rollings allegedly admitted stealing the money when faced with the evidence. He pulled a large amount of money out of his pocket and claimed he would bring it back as evidence, the report said.
An internal database indicated that the funds were released to the owner by another crime scene custodian, but further investigation revealed that the database had been modified by Rollings. Surveillance footage showed Rollings alone in the evidence room on November 13th. Once he closes a door so that no one can see his actions in the room, the report says.
Rollings was arrested on December 12 on charges of misconduct in office and released from custody with a personal loan of US $ 50,000, the report said. The case remains pending.
He told investigators that he took the money for “family reasons,” the report said.
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