June 05, 2020 - 3:50 AM
GRAYSON, La. - A police chief in Louisiana has been accused of taking thousands of dollars seized by officers as evidence in different cases.
“I won’t debate the validity of the charge,” Grayson Police Chief Mitch Bratton said as he announced his own arrest in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Bratton said he “wanted to be in full disclosure” about the arrest, which he said came after he contacted “an outside agency” a few weeks ago about concerns he had “with a town employee.”
An investigation into the police department Bratton oversees started after a complaint was filed about the missing money, according to the Louisiana State Police. State investigators now allege Bratton took about $4,000 in two different cases and say the money was never documented as evidence, news outlets reported.
Bratton was booked into jail on two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of malfeasance in office. Bratton said he’s co-operating with state investigators and doesn't believe the charges should affect his position as chief.
“I intend to be as accessible as I always have while I let the criminal justice system work this issue out,” he said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020