Williams caught on video taking drugs from evidence room

Williams caught on video taking drugs from evidence room

Document reveals details of investigation that led to charges for Marion police detective

ralphhardin@gmail.com An affidavit for the warrant that was issued on behalf of Scott Ellington, Prosecuting Attorney for the 2nd Judicial District of Eastern Arkansas, details the investigation that ultimately resulted in the arrest of Marion Police Lieutenant Detective Freddy Williams on Tuesday morning.

According to the document, filed by Sgt. Ramey Lovan of the Arkansas State Police, Marion Police Chief Gary Kelley was approached by two Marion Police Department narcotics officers at his home on Christmas Day last year and “asked to speak with him about an urgent matter.”

The two officers reported that they had secretly recorded Williams stealing drugs from the narcotics evidence room at the police station on Highway 77.

The officers’ concerns, according to the affidavit, began in October of 2018, when they “suspected someone was tampering with evidence inside their office.”

In an effort to prove their hunch, they then set up a hidden video camera “to record who accessed their office and the narcotics evidence room.”

Their suspicions were validated, said the report, when “they recorded several videos of Williams entering their evidence room.”

Several of the videos were of Williams going into the room “for no specific reason,” but on two different instances Williams was recorded “placing evidence inside the front of his pants before leaving the evidence room.” According to Lovan, “Chief Kelley and Assistant Chief (Dennis) Burns both stated to me that Williams had no reason to access that specific evidence room.” Detective Bobby Morgan later provided Lovan with an electronic data log that showed Williams accessing the narcotics evidence room “approximately 22 times” in 2018.

As part of the investigation, a full inventory of the entire narcotics evidence room was conducted, matching some of the missing evidence with videos that were captured of Williams going into the evidence room.

“Approximately 13 videos of Williams going into the narcotics evidence room are included in the case file,” explained Lovan.

“Some of the videos even show Williams there after hours while he is off duty.”

One video, according to the affidavit, “shows Williams there on Christmas morning searching through evidence while he’s off duty and no one else is inside the police department other than a dispatcher.

Following the full inventory, police discovered that “approximately 33 cases were discovered with evidence missing.” Of the 33, 23 were missing seized marijuana, while 10 of the cases involved missing prescription pills.

According to the report, “Williams also made a confession to Chief Kelley, Assistant Chief Burns, Detective Paul Turney and Detective Morgan of the MPD. He stated to each of them that he was sorry for stealing narcotics and marijuana from the evidence room. He also stated to them that he had been smoking marijuana that he stole.”

Williams turned himself in at the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday morning, at which time he was arrested on charges of tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and a violation of the rules of conduct by a county officer or employee. Bond was set at $10,000. Williams made his first court appearance last Friday in West Memphis District Court for a brief bond hearing.

By Ralph Hardin