Former southern Indiana police officer avoids charges after drugs found at firehouse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A former southern Indiana police officer will not face charges over his handling of evidence.

WDRB reported in May that a volunteer found a tote containing what was believed to be marijuana, drug paraphernalia, police reports and driver licenses while cleaning up the Utica Fire Department building. The tote was found near a Utica Police Department vehicle.

Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said in a news release Monday that former Utica Reserve Police Officer Hunter Morrow admitted to keeping small amounts of suspected marijuana he'd seized to train his police K-9 instead of entering it into evidence.

Between the two departments, the firehouse was used as a place to park and keep police vehicles and equipment for Utica Police. While Morrow's police car needed repairing, someone had taken the contents out of Morrow's car and transferred them to another police car for Morrow to use. In the release, Mull said "for unknown reasons," the tote was left in the firehouse, and not properly secured in a police car or evidence storage facility.

Indiana has clear laws on how to handle evidence, but Mull said those laws apply to criminal cases. Mull said Morrow never opened cases on the suspected marijuana, so he doesn't believe he can prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

Morrow was fired from Utica Police Department May 1.

Previous Coverage:

Volunteers uncover years of Utica police evidence abandoned at fire station

Southern Indiana police officer fired after drugs found in firehouse storage bin