# Meth, heroin and more reported missing in audit of Hanceville Police Department's evidence room

**BRYCE. THANK YOU. TONIGHT’S DECISION ALSO FOLLOWS THE PRELIMINARY AUDIT OF THE HANCEVILLE EVIDENCE ROOM FROM THE CULLMAN COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY. SOME OF THE CHARGES THE OFFICERS FACE IN THIS CASE INCLUDE TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE. ACCORDING TO THE STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS, SEVERAL DIFFERENT DRUGS, INCLUDING METH, COCAINE, HEROIN, PILLS, EVEN A HANDGUN WERE MISSING FROM THE EVIDENCE ROOM. ON TOP OF THAT, THERE WERE 30 OTHER GUNS NOT PROPERLY DOCUMENTED INSIDE THE ROOM. THE AUDIT SAYS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DEATH OF A LOCAL DISPATCHER, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RECOMMENDED THE POLICE CHIEF CALL THE SBI FOR ASSISTANCE, WHICH HE DECLINED TO DO. IT ALSO SAYS, ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, HANCEVILLE HAD THE HIGHEST EMERGENCY CALLS FOR OVERDOES IN THE STATE AT 7.65 PER 10,000 RESIDENTS. FOR CONTEXT**

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Various drugs and at least one handgun were listed as missing following an audit of the Hanceville Police Department's evidence room as the future of the department remains uncertain.
Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker released the following data Monday which, according to State Bureau of Investigation Agent Jamie King, represents an approximate weight/count of the missing substances:
- Methamphetamine - 216 grams
- Cocaine - 1.5 grams
- Oxycodone pills - 67
- Adderall pills - 4
- Heroin - 0.5 grams
- Clonazepam pills - 4
- Gabapentin pills - 39
- Tizanidine (muscle relaxer) - 5
- Methocarbamol (muscle relaxer) - 5
- Suboxone strip - 1
- Firearms - One .25 caliber handgun

King noted, however, that these numbers are only based on the "item description" on each evidence envelope, several of which were not fully filled out. Further items of unknown weight are missing.
Additionally, 30 undocumented firearms were discovered.
The audit was carried out as part of an SBI investigation following the death of police dispatcher Chris Willingham who died from “combined toxic effects of fentanyl, gabapentin, diazepam, amphetamine, carisoprodol, and methocarbamol.” Unfettered access to the HPD evidence room played a role in Willingham's death.
"These results of the evidence audit are shocking but not surprising," said Crocker. The security camera footage revealed how unsecure the evidence room was, with various individuals going in and out, routinely sticking a broomstick through the hole in the wall to gain access.
Willingham's death and the evidence room's lack of security were discussed at length last month when the district attorney's office laid out the scathing findings of a grand jury that called for the department's abolishment.
"There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, which has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency," read court documents obtained by WVTM 13.
Along with those findings came the arrests of Chief Jason Marlin, officers William Shelnutt, Jason Scott Willbanks, Cody Kelso, Eric Kelso, and Eric's wife, Donna Reid Kelso, all of whom are facing felony charges.
"These defendants find themselves on the opposite end of the laws they were sworn to uphold," read a statement from the district attorney's office. "Wearing a badge is a privilege and honor that most law enforcement officers take seriously. A badge is not a license to corrupt the administration of justice. These Hanceville Police officers' actions undermine the hard work of the entire law enforcement community across our great state."
The future of the police department has yet to be decided; the Cullman County Sheriff's Office is currently handling law enforcement responsibilities in the area.
During a recent Council meeting, many residents called for the sheriff's office to take over law enforcement duties on a more permanent basis.
"You should take the grand jury's recommendation," said Charles Wright. "I think it would be more cost-effective to have Cullman County take over the police function."
The vast majority, however, maintained hope that, despite the "rampant culture of corruption" uncovered by state investigators, the local police force could still be cleaned up and rebuilt.
The Hanceville City Council is actively meeting to discuss the matter further.
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