CHARLOTTE — An officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has been accused of stealing from a person in custody.
The department said they arrested 49-year-old Henry Chapman after an arrestee reported that an officer had stolen property from him. That property was $900 in cash, according to arrest warrants.
Chapman was then charged with felony embezzlement on Thursday, according to the department.
Details are limited, but Channel 9 learned it all started when a different officer pulled a man over on W.T. Harris Boulevard near Delta Lake Drive for allegedly driving 68 mph in a 45 mph zone. The citation says that man “had a U.S. Marshals warrant for weapons violations.”
At some point, that man came into contact with Chapman. Court documents say the $900 was his.
Chief Johnny Jennings released a statement regarding the incident, saying:
“This is deeply disappointing for our organization. We hold ourselves to the highest standards, and a violation of that trust is a serious offense. However, I want to assure the public that we take all allegations seriously and will not tolerate misconduct within our ranks. I’m proud that the supervisor and other officers on scene took immediate and decisive action to investigate the situation and determine that our officer needed to be arrested. No CMPD employee is above the law.”
Chapman was a member of the University City Division and has worked for the department for 14 years.
CMPD said its internal affairs department is conducting a simultaneous investigation.
In the meantime, Chapman is currently on unpaid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the internal investigation.
The district attorney’s office couldn’t comment on whether this will impact any cases Chapman has been involved in, but said it does vet the credibility of witnesses.
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