Last Friday, December 16, an officer from the Spencer Police Department, who formerly served in Greene County, was arrested on official misconduct and theft charges after an investigation by detectives with the Indiana State Police Special Investigation Section.

The complaint began after the Owen County Prosecutor contacted the Indiana State Police and requested an investigation after an officer allegedly removed items from secured storage.

The investigation by ISP Sergeant Greg Ashby and Master Trooper Craig Starr determined that Sergeant James Bradley Deckard, a 39-year-old from Gosport and an 18-year veteran of law enforcement who has been employed by the Spencer Police Department for the last 10 months, utilized his authority to remove illegal narcotics and controlled substances from the DEA Drug Take Back Container stored within the Spencer Police Department.

Deckard formerly served as a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department in years past and was one of two deputies shot during an incident in the Owensburg area on the Fourth of July in 2012. Both deputies survived.

As a result of the recent investigation, Deckard was arrested for Official Misconduct and Theft, both Level 6 Felonies. He was booked into the Owen County Jail early Friday morning where he posted bond.