Pubdate: Thu, 23 Dec 2004
Source: Advocate, The (LA)
Copyright: 2004 The Advocate, Capital City Press
Contact:  http://www.theadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2
Author: Heath Druzin

SHERIFF'S OFFICIAL HELD IN THEFTS

Lieutenant Accused Of Stealing Money, Drugs

The head of the Evidence Department for the East Baton Rouge Parish
Sheriff's Office was arrested Tuesday, accused of stealing money,
drugs and weapons from the evidence room and possibly jeopardizing an
unknown number of criminal cases.

Lt. Gwendolyn L. Carroll, 66, was arrested after a search of her
house, at 2016 Government St., turned up scores of evidence envelopes
stashed in 18-gallon plastic tubs, according to an arrest warrant.

Deputies found evidence from about 130 cases at Carroll's house,
though that number may change as the investigation continues,
Sheriff's Lt. Col. Greg Phares said Wednesday morning at a news conference.

Carroll is accused of stealing more than $200,000, as well as cocaine,
marijuana and guns from the evidence room. Sheriff's Col. Mike Barnett
called the case the worst breach of evidence security he has seen in
nearly 40 years.

An earlier internal investigation by the Sheriff's Office found items
missing from the evidence room, on the Parish Prison grounds, and led
deputies to Carroll, the warrant says.

Carroll, who has been with the Sheriff's Office since 1988 and the
Evidence Department for eight years, allegedly stole the money, drugs
and guns over a six-year period, the arrest warrant says.

Phares said Carroll appears to have been dealing with "serious family
problems," though he would not go into specifics.

She was fired from the Sheriff's Office concurrent with her arrest,
Phares said.

Barnett said it appears Carroll went undetected for a while by
replacing evidence when it was subpoenaed and only raised suspicions
with her co-workers when she recently reacted nonchalantly to missing
evidence, telling them it would turn up eventually.

"She's everybody's grandmother around here," Barnett said. "She is
probably the last person you would suspect of taking something that
didn't belong to her. Obviously, things have changed for her."

Carroll was likely only interested in taking money but took guns and
drugs as well so that evidence with individual cases stayed together
and did not raise suspicions, he said.

Barnett vowed that there will be an audit of every piece of evidence
in the room. Three people, including Carroll, worked there.

Sheriff's Sgt. Donelle Kwan, another employee in the Evidence
Department, will oversee the evidence, representing thousands of
cases, until the Sheriff's Office finds a full-time replacement for
Carroll.

The effect the theft has on criminal cases depends very much on the
type of evidence involved, said David Price, president of the
Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

"If it is some item that has some other evidence on it, whether it is
DNA, fingerprints or a gun they want to do ballistic testing on, that
can certainly cause some problems," he said.

"If, through the Sheriff's Office own fault, they don't have that item
anymore, I'm not sure what it does in court, but it certainly creates
a problem," Price said.

Phares, however, would not comment on specific problems the theft
might have on any cases but did say, "It is clearly a matter of
concern for us and the district attorney."

District Attorney Doug Moreau did not return calls to his office and
home Wednesday night.

E. Pete Adams, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys
Association, declined comment.

Carroll remained in Parish Prison Wednesday night on counts of
tampering with evidence, theft, theft of a firearm, possession of
marijuana and possession of cocaine. Bond was set at $25,000.
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