Pubdate: Fri, 07 Sep 2001
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR)
Copyright: 2001 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ardemgaz.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/25
Author: Jim Brooks, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

DRUG-CASE 'PRANK' BACKFIRES ON OFFICERS

A "prank" involving the storage of drug evidence led to the resignation of 
two North Little Rock police officers last week, the firing of a third and 
the suspension of a fourth, Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry 
Jegley said Thursday.

The resignations were tendered before disciplinary hearings leading to the 
firing and suspension of the other officers, police said.

The two disciplined officers have appealed their punishments. Police said 
the investigation concerned "procedural matters" involving the detectives' 
work.

Sources familiar with the investigation said Sgt. Scott Henson and 
investigator Jon Jeu resigned from the department, investigator Harold 
Aydelott was fired and investigator Scott Allison was suspended for 30 
days. Jegley said North Little Rock Police Chief Danny Bradley kept him 
informed throughout the internal investigation into "a prank or horseplay 
gone bad which involved some evidence seized in a search warrant."

The prosecutor said the investigation involves the handling of drug 
evidence from a single case.

"If there is any question about the integrity of the evidence in that case, 
we'll handle it in the appropriate manner," Jegley said.

The prosecutor said he intends to ask the state police to open a criminal 
investigation into the matter once the civil service matter is concluded.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jim Scott said he was instructed by North Little Rock 
City Attorney Paul Suskie not to release the names of the officers because 
one of the men had challenged the release of that information and filed for 
an opinion from the attorney general's office.

"These were good police officers, each of whom had received awards from the 
department for their good police work during their careers," Scott said. 
"Every one of them had been with the department a long time."

Suskie said he was awaiting an opinion from the state attorney general's 
office to determine what information he could release about the officers.

In a letter to Attorney General Mark Pryor, Suskie wrote: "The officer that 
was terminated has filed an appeal to the North Little Rock Civil Service 
Commission and it is my understanding that the suspended officer has either 
filed or is in the process of filing an appeal to the Commission."

Suskie said that because the disciplined officers had appealed their 
punishments, no information about the month-long internal affairs 
investigation would be released until completion of a Civil Service 
Commission hearing. The officers were part of the 13-officer contingent of 
narcotics detectives at the department.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager