BENTONVILLE -- A fired Benton County Jail captain was accused of destroying a usable amount of cocaine found in a female housing unit, according to an internal investigation. Lynn Hahn was fired Dec. 30.
Sheriff Shawn Holloway hasn't given a reason for the firing and didn't respond to a message and phone call this week. Keshia Guyll, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, replied for Holloway on Friday, but didn't respond to other questions.
Hahn filed a grievance in an attempt to clear his name and regain his job, but he later withdrew the request.
An internal investigation was launched after a Dec. 27 search turned up cocaine hidden in a tube of toothpaste. The internal investigation documents were released by the Benton County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 20.
Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, said the Sheriff's Office sent the report to his office, but Smith said no criminal charges will be filed.
"There's nothing criminal there for me to prosecute," Smith said.
Hahn, a 13-year veteran at Sheriff's Office, said he used his discretion as jail captain to destroy the contraband.
"I did it in front of cameras, in front of witnesses and told my supervisor about it," Hahn said.
Other deputies also reported it was common practice to simply destroy small amounts of contraband, Hahn said.
The internal investigation report was done by Paul Carter, a lieutenant in the criminal investigation division for the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies warned the female inmates about a pending search and ordered them to put any contraband in a trash can. Deputies later searched the trash can and found a chewed-on tube of toothpaste, according to the report.
A deputy cut the tube open and found a substance that field-tested as cocaine in a piece of tissue, according to the report. The toothpaste tube and tissue were thrown away, but the cocaine was left on top of a counter, according to the report.
Hahn, who wasn't present for the field test, used hand sanitizer to wipe away the cocaine left on the wall, according to the report.
Hahn was interviewed as part of the internal investigation and said he was told the toothpaste tube was destroyed and put in a trash can, according to the report. Hahn said he was shown the positive field test.
Hahn said there was a small amount of cocaine on the wall and no leads as to who it belonged to, so he felt it was within his authority to destroy it, according to the report.
Hahn said he destroyed the cocaine using a soaked towel in front of a surveillance camera, according to court documents.
The report claims Hahn didn't properly produce the documentation needed to collect and preserve the cocaine so it could be transferred to a property clerk and kept in inventory until it could be listed on a court order for destruction. The report also states Hahn's actions were in violation of Sheriff's Office's policy, which requires found weapons and drugs to be turned into the property clerk.
General News on 02/07/2017