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Part-Time Donora Officer Charged With Stealing Heroin From Evidence

DONORA (KDKA/AP) - A part-time police officer has been charged with stealing $1,300 worth of heroin from the evidence room at a southwestern Pennsylvania police department.

James Johnson V, 29, of Monongahela, didn't immediately return a call for comment after Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone announced the charges Wednesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Johnson has worked as a part-time officer for the Donora Police Department since 2011.

In a press release, Vittone said, "Any time a sworn law enforcement officer violates the trust placed in him by the public it is a serious matter. Chief James Brice is to be commended for immediately initiating an investigation into this matter and assisting the Pennsylvania State Police in resolving this theft."

Vittone says Donora police seized two batches of heroin during the search of a home in August, one containing 237 individual dose bags of heroin and the other 133 bags.

The drugs were stored in separate, sealed envelopes and by the time an officer went to send them to a crime lab for testing two days later, the 133-bag envelope was missing.

Investigators used surveillance video to determine Johnson entered the room, and say he acknowledged stealing the drugs for personal use.

Court records don't list a defense attorney.

Johnson is charged with possession of a controlled substance, theft, obstruction and tampering with evidence. He was arraigned and released from the Washington County jail after posting $25,000 bail.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the morning of Jan. 24.

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