DA: $575 from Cass Township Police Evidence Room Found on Tuesday

The $575 that Cass Township says was missing from its police evidence room was found on Tuesday morning.

Schuylkill County District Attorney Mike O’Pake confirmed to The Canary that the money was recovered during a sweep of that room conducted by a detective from his office.

“I can confirm that the money that was allegedly lost or misplaced in Cass Township has been recovered,” O’Pake said. “One of my detectives was at Cass Township this morning and the money was located.”

O’Pake could not provide more details on the discovery of the money within the evidence room, such as where it was exactly. He said once he gets more details on the sweep conducted by his detective, that information will be shared.

This allegedly missing $575 was one of the main reasons why Cass Township says it decided to suspend and then ultimately disband its police force.

The initial suspension happened in February, during a special meeting of supervisors. Then, in May, supervisors voted to disband the force entirely, instead relying on State Police coverage for residents and businesses of Cass Twp.

Insinuations from Cass Twp. officials were that the police were somehow involved with this allegedly missing money. They say that no one but the police have access to the evidence room but the township’s former Police Chief flat out says that’s false.

Earlier this year, after Police Chief Ger Daley asked the DA’s office to file a forfeiture petition for the $575, collected as evidence as part of a 2011 drug arrest, the money went missing.

Immediately following the meeting at which the police force was suspended, Daley – who had resigned a week prior – and a member of the DA’s office went through the evidence room to locate the money and hand it over.

However, the money wasn’t found.

Cass Twp. officials say they had initiated an investigation into this matter and another alleged issued with what they said was a former police officer filing a form with a department of the state government even though he wasn’t, according to their belief, an active member of the police force at that time.

O’Pake did confirm to The Canary on Tuesday that it was, in fact, Daley who provided the information about the money to be forfeited to the DA’s office. He said Daley asked the DA’s office to file a forfeiture petition after he’d discovered the cash in the evidence room.

The DA said his office did file that forfeiture petition and it was granted. But when his office went to collect the money, it couldn’t be found.

After that happened, O’Pake said the Cass Twp. supervisors got involved. He said he received a letter from Solicitor Mark Semanchik in which a check from the township was enclosed.

O’Pake said his office then launched an investigation and looked into the matter and that ultimately led to the money being discovered on Tuesday.

FULL COVERAGE:

• Cass Township Police Disbandment Leads to Evidence Room Dispute
• Cass Township Disbands Its Police Force
• Cass Twp. Suspends Police Operations Pending Investigation