Former Pennsylvania police chief pleads guilty to stealing drugs from evidence locker

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — A former police chief in Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing drugs from an evidence locker on Tuesday.

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Timothy Butler, 46, a former Elizabeth Borough police chief, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of government property, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced Tuesday, according to WPXI.

Butler reportedly admitted in court that he stole and used heroin that was seized in two federal investigations, according to the Department of Justice. From June 2017 to December 2018, Butler “stole hundreds of bricks and bundles of heroin from the Elizabeth Borough Police Department for his own personal use.” The heroin was stored in the evidence locker at the police station.

According to WPXI, Butler pleaded guilty in Aug. 2019 to state-level charges that included two counts of theft, a count of possession and a count of obstructing the administration of law. He was sentenced to 55 months of probation and 325 hours of community service. This was in regards to pleading guilty to stealing heroin from the station’s evidence room. According to WPXI, he was charged by the state and federally.

Butler is expected to be sentenced on April 4, 2023. He is facing no more than 10 years in prison, a fine of no more than $250,000 or both, according to the DOJ.

No further information has been released.

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