Cash missing from Sheriff's evidence room

BROOKSVILLE - Officials discovered $11,185 in cash was missing from the sheriff's office evidence room in January.
A criminal investigation was opened shortly after, but no culprits or money could be found after three months, according to records released Thursday.
For now, the case remains in the state of "inactive."
The missing money came to light during a routine audit in January. A temporary employee scanning evidence into a computer database found that $3,180 was gone.
Further search of the entire evidence room determined it truly was missing and not misplaced.
Days later, the supervisor of the evidence room, John Manning, brought a parcel holding five sums of money to the finance department. The money, seized from under a mattress in a drug case, was to be unsealed by court order for forfeiture. Four of the sums were inside the envelope, but $8,000 was gone.
The finance director, Emily Vernon, counted the money and told Manning some of it was missing.
Manning "turned white as a ghost and said, 'Oh my God,'" Vernon told investigators.
On Jan. 8, a criminal investigation was opened to find the money and, if necessary, a grand theft suspect. For the next three months, Detective Anthony Scarpati interviewed Manning and his two full-time employees, along with a host of temporary employees.
The evidence room is frequently staffed by deputies on light duty, either from injury or because of in-house investigations.
In his interview, Manning defended the accountability of his system and stated he had never had money go missing before. His theory is this was "blatant thievery."
Manning resigned Jan. 29 after almost two decades in property and evidence. He gave no reason why.
Some of the key players were re-interviewed using technology that detects deception through stress in the voice. Only one, former deputy Michael Faustini, showed signs of deception when asked if he took the money from the evidence room, according to the report.
Sgt. Donna Black, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said the missing money was no longer necessary as evidence for criminal cases. Both were scheduled for forfeiture to the sheriff's office and the sums will be covered by insurance, she said.
Hernando Today was the first to break the news about the criminal investigation in January.


Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.



This really burns my ass. How many people have we arrested who showed deception? This is another cover-up!

Thank you Kyle but keep digging. You'll find much more where the last two news stories came from.

hmmmmm maybe the sao will charge the right person since our investigator couldn't figure it out.

From the comments in the newspaper under the multiple articles on this, I don't think the public is buying it. Nugent your kingdom is falling. See what your suck-ups have done to you? We know, they know and you are clueless!!!!

Here is the original article on this and what Donna said is true:

"We handle the criminal investigations just as we handle our own internal affairs investigations," Black said.






BROOKSVILLE — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office has opened a criminal investigation related to the property and evidence room at its own department.

The investigation comes on the heels of the resignation of John Manning, the Sheriff's Office property and evidence supervisor. Manning submitted a one-sentence letter to Sheriff Richard Nugent on Jan. 29 announcing his intention to resign immediately.

Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said the investigation had nothing to do with Manning.

"We always do a thorough investigation," Black said Tuesday, "so I wouldn't put a time limit on it."

Sheriff Richard Nugent confirmed the investigation centered on employees within the department but said he wouldn't comment again because the probe was ongoing.

"All I can tell you is we're in process of completing the investigation," Nugent said.

Black said the Hernando Sheriff's Office will be the only law enforcement agency handling the investigation.

"We handle the criminal investigations just as we handle our own internal affairs investigations," Black said. "And in the past we have arrested members of our agency for criminal violations such as domestic violence."

However, it is not unusual for law enforcement agencies to bring in outside investigators, typically the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to avoid any perception of impartiality.

The FDLE, for example, is continuing an investigation of allegations of missing guns, cash and drugs from the Brooksville Police Department's evidence room during the tenure of former police Chief Ed Tincher.

There was no indication on Tuesday that the problems with the Brooksville Police evidence room were connected to the new investigation into the Sheriff's Office evidence room.

As of Tuesday, prosecutors said they hadn't been told of the investigation. State Attorney Brad King said that wasn't necessarily unusual.

"It would depend on the circumstances," King said. "Obviously, if they find nothing, no discrepancy or no problems, that's not necessarily something they'd report to me."

Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6120.



[Last modified: Feb 03, 2009 08:25 PM]



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Comments on this articleby TomD Feb 04, 2009 04:01 PM
In many cases their investigations seem to be led by blind men. Their seems to be a serious integrity problem in the Sheriffs Dept.Then again FDLE is no better so it's fiddle dee or fiddle dum that whitewash everything.We have a State Attorney?
by Chet Feb 04, 2009 03:58 PM
While we are at it why don't we investigate the mis-management that is the County's single largest budget problem? a/k/a The Hernando County Sheriff's Department.
by Examples Please Feb 04, 2009 02:42 PM
HA! Arrested for domestic violence? Are you sure about that? Wasn't the first incident swept under the rug and wasn't the person able to resign after the second incident? Waiting for names...
by cops wife Feb 04, 2009 08:39 AM
wow the so spokeswomen proudly announces the domestic issue but she did not mention what they allowed to go on their.. please donna mention some names we would love to hear your real thoughts !! all for the good ol boy club right !
by Michael Feb 04, 2009 08:25 AM
It will be interesting to see, if anyone is actually held accountable.
by Burns Feb 04, 2009 07:50 AM
What's missing?
by Joanie Feb 04, 2009 07:31 AM
"We handle the criminal investigations just as we handle our own internal affairs investigations," Black said. Then it won't be investigated properly and something will be covered-up! Call another agency to do this, so it's done right!!!
by 10-4 Feb 04, 2009 06:38 AM
In the past we arrested members of our agency for domestic violence, stated Donna Black, care to use a name. You have also allowed members to escape criminal arrest, do you remember the cases of a Lt. and Sgt. Be careful with your words Sgt Black.


Since the investigation is complete, I think I'll call the State Attorney and let them handle this.
Kyle, if you are reading this will you please find out who has been charged with domestic violence and do an article on that? We need to uncover what they are covering up!

Shoot...I wish I knew back then it was so easy to gank cash from the evidence room. I would have been over there years ago.

I wished I knew alot more back then and I'd have never come to this place.

Does anyone find it strange that Mr. Manning retired without notice or reason after $11,000 missing? There are cameras in the evidence room and the interview process that was conducted was a complete joke. As always, one of Nuggents good ole boys was covered up for. Another thing, the article that was written should have been investigated a little more, it has incorrect information in it. Again, that would be because Sgt. Donna Black tells the reporters what she wants them to know and does not always have to be the complete truth. As long as the good ole boys are taken care of. It would be great if a reporter could find the back bone to actually investigate HCSO and Nuggent, he would find out the unfair terminations of some officers as to no reprimands to officers that Nuggent has a use for. "the good ole boys".

BROOKSVILLE — More than $11,000 is missing from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office's property and evidence room. And the agency says there are no suspects or clues to the money's whereabouts.

The Sheriff's Office said this week that the case is inactive, meaning that investigators have no further leads or information to follow. They also don't have enough evidence or information to identify a suspect or make an arrest.

During a routine audit in January, officials discovered that an evidence bag containing $3,185 in cash was missing, according to an investigative report released Thursday by the Sheriff's Office.

The report says that John Manning, the Sheriff's Office's property and evidence supervisor, and a temporary employee then searched every evidence envelope in the room until they realized that the money was missing and not misplaced.

Days later, Manning took a manila envelope containing evidence to the finance department. He discovered then that one of the containers within the larger envelope was missing — one that was supposed to be holding $8,000 in cash.

Manning "turned white as a ghost and said, 'Oh, my God,' " Sheriff's Office finance director Emily Vernon told investigators.

On Jan. 8, the Sheriff's Office opened a criminal investigation of the property and evidence room. Over the next three months, detectives interviewed those workers who had access to the evidence room, Manning and eight other employees. Six were tested using a computer voice stress analysis test.

During his interview Jan. 14, Manning told detectives that his evidence procedures had never failed in the past and that he had made necessary improvements during the years he had worked in the evidence room.

Manning also said that money had never gone missing before, calling this a case of "blatant thievery."

Two weeks later, Manning submitted a one-sentence letter to Sheriff Richard Nugent announcing his intention to resign immediately after nearly 20 years with the agency. He gave no reason for his resignation.

At the time, Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said the investigation had nothing to do with Manning.

Of the employees who were interviewed using the stress analysis test, only former Deputy Michael Faustini showed signs of deception when asked whether he had taken anything of value or any of the missing money from the evidence room, according to a report from the Sheriff's Office.

Faustini had been assigned to the evidence room while an investigation into an unrelated incident was conducted. He was dismissed this year as a result of that internal investigation, Black said.

Black said the missing money was no longer needed as evidence for criminal cases and that the Sheriff's Office's insurance policy had already covered the money.

Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6120.

Three months were up only three days ago! How did we already get the money from insurance? Scarpati, I can't believe you have done this to us! We should have known though. Dishonesty is alive and well! Now we all know why they refused to let an outside agency investigate this. They would make shit eating grin Rich look bad. Some of us are furious over this and it makes us all look bad!

Shameful.

CAN'T SOLVE INHOUSE CRIMES. NOTHING NEW ON THIS?