Drugs Stolen From Drop-Off Boxes By Aberdeen Officer: Prosecutor

ABERDEEN, MD — An Aberdeen police officer is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing drugs from drop-off boxes and the police department's evidence room.

Lt. Daniel E. Gosnell, 38, was charged on Wednesday in Harford County Circuit Court with possession of drugs other than marijuana and misconduct in office.

The drug charge was related to an Aug. 9 incident, while criminal misconduct was alleged from Feb. 1, 2016, to Aug. 2, 2017, according to court records.

The charges state that Gosnell repeatedly stole and consumed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, oxycontin and oxycodone from the public prescription drop-off box at the department and from the Aberdeen Police Department's evidence room, according to State Prosecutor Emmett C. Davitt.

"Police officers take an oath to uphold the law, and actions and behavior in violation of that oath and the public trust are intolerable," Davitt said in a statement.

Arraignment for Gosnell, who lives on Churchville Road in Aberdeen, is scheduled for Dec. 4.

The Aberdeen Police Department began investigating after allegations of criminal misconduct were made against the lieutenant on Aug. 2. The following day, Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Trabert asked Maryland State Police to handle the criminal and administrative investigation to allow for impartiality.

"This investigation has tested the strength of our organization," Trabert said on Wednesday after the charges were made public. "His position as a commander in the department made his alleged misconduct harder to detect."

While the chief noted the investigation was ongoing, he said that there were 235 submissions of evidence that were missing or tampered with, in both closed and active cases. The Harford County state's attorney was reviewing the information, according to Trabert.

The lieutenant was suspended in August after an investigation uncovered evidence of drug tampering, police previously said. Information that came from within the department led to the probe, according to Trabert, who said that the officer charged was believed to have acted alone.

Trabert said that the case has led to the roll-out of a more robust drug testing program within the department and an overhaul of current procedures to make access to evidence more regulated.

• Commander Suspended For Evidence Tampering: Aberdeen Police

This is breaking news and will be updated. Get news alerts from Aberdeen Patch.

File photo by Elizabeth Janney.