The former assistant police chief of Tallassee faces criminal charges in two counties and prosecutors have had to start over with a major child abuse case he investigated because of questions about his conduct.
District Attorney Randall Houston said Chris Miles surrendered Friday afternoon to authorities in Elmore County, where he's charged with second-degree theft. He's accused of taking a gun out of an evidence locker at the Tallassee Police Department. Miles was freed on bond shortly after his arrest. He's also free on bond from charges in neighboring Macon County
Court records don't indicate if he has an attorney in the newest case yet.
Earlier in the week, prosecutors dropped more than 100 charges against a man accused of child sex abuse and brought six new ones over concerns about Miles, who was the lead investigator.
Stephen Conrad appeared in court Friday in Wetumpka and was told he faces two counts of first-degree rape, three counts of sexual abuse of a child younger than 12, and one count of first-degree sexual abuse. Prosecutors said the charges involve three females and one male. Two are now adults.
Conrad is being held under $410,000 bond and does not yet have an attorney.
Conrad was originally charged with 109 counts, but the district attorney said they were dropped after being "tainted by illegally obtained evidence." Houston said the new charges resulted from an independent investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
Houston's chief assistant, C.J. Robinson, told the Montgomery Advertiser (http://on.mgmadv.com/1g2P0sJ) that Miles is under investigation by state and federal authorities involving allegations of coercion in the Conrad case.
Miles, 39, of Eclectic left the Tallassee Police Department in October after being charged in neighboring Macon County with two counts of theft of property and two counts of burglary. Macon County District Attorney E. Paul Jones said Miles is accused of breaking into a business in Shorter. He is free on $99,000 bond.
Jennifer Thompkins, who represents Miles in the Macon County case, said she can't comment on those charges because the case is in its early stages, but she said he did not coerce the defendant in the child sex abuse case. She also said he "had other officers present when interviewing the defendant and used electronic devices to record any statements made by the defendant in compliance with department procedure."
Tallassee Police Chief Jimmy Rogers told the Montgomery Advertiser that he is unaware of any electronic recordings. "As to coercion, we have testimony from our officers as to coercion occurring," he said. "That apparently carries more weight with the agencies that are investigating this."
Thompkins said Miles has done nothing to jeopardize the case against Conrad. "Mr. Miles tried to protect these victimized children through countless hours of dedication and gut-wrenching evidence and investigations along with several other officers," she said.
In the gun case, the district attorney said the weapon, a semi-automatic handgun, has been recovered but an investigation continues into firearms missing from the evidence locker.