Cop Allegedly Stole $12K While Responding to Overdose Call

He then allegedly tried to return it, but was caught in the act
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 2, 2019 2:56 PM CST
Cop Allegedly Stole $12K While Responding to Overdose Call
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / aijohn784)

A 911 call was made about an apparent drug overdose in Normal, Illinois, last Monday, and the victim ultimately died at a hospital. Shortly after that tragedy, a shocker for a relative of the victim: thousands of dollars in missing money. A relative of the victim reported to the Normal Police Department that $12,000 had gone missing after officers responded to the 911 call. Then things got really weird: The relative says calls from an unidentified phone number started coming in on Wednesday, after the missing money had been reported, and on Thursday the relative spoke to the unknown caller. The caller said he knew where the money was but that the relative would need to drop the police investigation in order to get it back, WGLT reports.

Instead, the relative clued police in to the calls, and the department in turn referred the matter to the Illinois State Police. The relative agreed to meet the mystery caller at a gas station Friday, but unbeknownst to the caller, State Police set up surveillance and captured video of Normal police officer Brian Williams, 46, allegedly leaving the cash in a phone booth. The relative soon got a call saying the money was there and ready to be picked up. Williams was then arrested at the scene. He's been charged with two counts related to theft plus two counts of official misconduct, all felonies, per the Pantagraph. As the State Police pursue that case, the Normal PD is conducting its own internal investigation; Williams, an 18-year veteran of the force, was placed on administrative leave without pay. He has also been released from jail on bond. (More police officer stories.)

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