Stillwater
police officer charged with stealing from department's Drug Take-Back bin
STILLWATER, Okla. - Felony
charges have been filed against a former Stillwater police sergeant accused of
stealing prescription medications from his department's drug supply.
The Payne County District
Attorney filed the charge of larceny of controlled dangerous substance Monday
against Sgt. Tom McConaghy.
The officer resigned from his
post July 4 after amid internal and criminal investigations. According to
Stillwater police Capt. Randy Dickerson, investigators discovered McConaghy had
removed "several" prescription drugs, including Hydrocodone and
Promethazine from the department's Drug Take-Back bin around May 25.
A story by the Stillwater News
Press dates the take-back program to 2011. McConaghy, whom the paper
interviewed on the initiative's success, encouraged residents to turn in pills
instead of flushing them down a toilet or letting them sit in medicine
cabinets.
If convicted, McConaghy could
face up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Berks County police officer
suspended, charged with shoplifting
An Amity Township police
officer charged with twice stealing items from a Montgomery County grocery
store has been suspended, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Cpl. Glenn J. Oesterling, 35,
of Amity Township, was suspended indefinitely without pay last week by Amity
Police Chief Kent Shubrook, according to township Supervisor Robert Yanos.
Oesterling has been a township
officer for 12 years, Yanos said.
Since 2011, Oesterling also was
a member of the Berks County District Attorney's major crimes task force, a
group of select detectives from various departments who investigate major
crimes in Berks. District Attorney John T. Adams said Oesterling has been
suspended from that role as well.
He was charged with retail
theft and receiving stolen property for the incidents, which took place June 12
and June 18 at the Giant Food Store in West Pottsgrove Township, court records
showed.
According to court documents:
On June 12, a Giant loss
prevention officer saw Oesterling placing several items totaling about $38 into
reusable shopping bags in his cart and then walking out of the store without
going through a checkout line.
A security photo of Oesterling
was posted in the store so staff could look out for him.
He returned June 18 and placed
about 50 items totaling approximately $300 into reusable bags in his cart and
left the store without going through a checkout line. A loss prevention officer
stopped him in the store vestibule, where Oesterling described himself as a
"cop."
Oesterling had three young
children with him during at least one of the incidents.
Giant passed the information on
to West Pottsgrove police, who charged Oesterling on July 1. Oesterling was
arraigned by District Judge Scott Palladino in Pottstown and is free awaiting
further court action.
Oesterling is represented by
Pottstown attorney Adam Sager.
"My client is anxiously
looking forward to his July 25 (preliminary hearing) date to have the
opportunity to defend himself and clear his good name," Sager said.
The Amity supervisors met in
executive session during their July 3 meeting and supported the suspension
handed down by the chief, Yanos said.
The supervisors did not vote on
the suspension, though, or announce it during the meeting.
Yanos wanted to make the public
aware of the situation, saying residents deserved to know what happened, but
said he was overruled by the three other supervisors.
"I'm very puzzled by the
secrecy," Yanos said. "Why keep it a secret?"
The state's Sunshine Law allows
the supervisors to release such information, but does not compel them to do so,
said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper
Association.
"It's their choice,"
she said.
But Melewsky said the
supervisors should have been more specific about the reason for the executive
session than simply saying it was for personnel reasons.
