Medford, Ore. – A man who was employed by Oregon State Police as an evidence technician pleaded guilty to four counts of theft and two counts of official misconduct after he was accused of stealing seized cash.
The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office said John Parrish had worked for OSP for around 8 years. He was placed on administrative leave in July of 2014.
The D.A. said Parrish later admitted to investigators that he had taken money that had been placed into evidence. Parrish documented some of the money transfers as having been returned as instructed by the D.A.’s office. The D.A.’s office said no such instructions were ever given.
Parrish reportedly told investigators he had financial problems and used the money to pay bills.
District Attorney Beth Heckert said it’s unfortunate that these types of cases damage the public trust in law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Judge Lorenzo Mejia sentenced Parris to 18 months in prison with 1 year of post-prison supervision.
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