A former officer for the Benton Harbor Police Department who was charged with stealing narcotics and reporting false drug buys has been sentenced in US District Court in Grand Rapids. 26 year-old Andrew Collins was indicted after an FBI investigation into his activities as a narcotics officer at the Benton Harbor PD led to the seizure of crack cocaine and other drugs from his locker. Prosecutors also alleged that Collins had reported phony drug raids for the purpose of embezzling funds from the department. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and four years of probation after pleading guilty to cocaine charges. US Attorney Brian Delaney says these types of cases are taken seriously:
Benton Harbor Police Chief Al Mingo says that he was a little disappointed by the sentence:
Mingo says that Collins damaged the department's reputation, and it's still working hard to regain the trust of citizens. Following his arrest, the Berrien County Prosecutor's office had to review hundreds of convictions stemming from investigations handled by Collins.
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