DA said missing cocaine was from case already through appeals pr - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

DA: Missing cocaine was from case already through appeals process

Posted: Updated:
By Cheryl Mercedes - bio | email
William Colvin (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office) William Colvin (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office)
Terrance Ramirez, Deroy Joseph, Colt Bell (Source: EBRSO) Terrance Ramirez, Deroy Joseph, Colt Bell (Source: EBRSO)
Debra Bell (Source: EBRSO) Debra Bell (Source: EBRSO)

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 5:38 PM EDT2013-05-23 21:38:18 GMT
    The picture of a George County dog set on fire is disturbing. Authorities say the circumstances surrounding how fire consumed the dog are shocking. According to George County Sheriff Dean Howell, 20-year-old
    Socks, the dog reportedly burned this week by his owner, has died. That word comes from a George County Sheriff's deputy.  Socks succumbed to injuries suffered after 20-year-old Brandon Pierce allegedly set his dog on fire Tuesday night. The suspect told deputies he torched the dog because he "wanted to help the dog go to heaven."

  • Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:15 PM EDT2013-05-23 03:15:57 GMT
    Part of the coast is being invaded this week by termites. Millions swarmed across Harrison County Wednesday night. Several WLOX viewers called our newsroom to tell us about it. One person called while
    Part of the coast is being invaded this week by termites. Millions swarmed across Harrison County Wednesday night.

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 9:25 AM EDT2013-05-23 13:25:10 GMT
    The search is on in north Picayune for two fugitive brothers wanted out of Tennessee. Jessy and Jeffrey Marchbanks were last seen leaving a mobile home on Pea Ridge Road in Picayune.
    Two fugitive brothers wanted out of Tennessee were captured around 6:30 Thursday morning according to Pearl River Sheriff's Department.  According to Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison, Jessy and Jeffrey Marchbanks were caught at the corner of Ozona Richardson Road and Richardson Road just after sunrise. That's the same general area authorities had searched Wednesday and early Thursday morning.
    •   
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -

Cocaine once stored as evidence in East Baton Rouge Parish is back on the streets.

Investigators believe two people who worked for the Clerk of Court's office including the son of State District Judge Kay Bates are responsible.

Local, state, and federal investigators believe William Bates Colvin, 30, and Debra Bell, 55, both employed by the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court are behind the disappearance of 48 pounds of cocaine that went missing from the evidence vault.

Nineteenth Judicial District Attorney Hillar Moore said Colvin, a longtime employee with the Clerk's office, had a key to the vault.

"People believe the safeguards were in place obviously it could have been better, been different we'll learn from this," Moore said.

Baton Rouge Police investigators said Colvin and Bell recruited people including Bell's son Colt, Joseph Deroy, and Terrance Ramirez to distribute some of the missing cocaine. Police Chief Dewayne White said it is unlikely detectives will ever recover the drugs.

‘There's no way of us actually being able to track the dope that was stolen from the vault and placed back on the street," White said.

The district attorney said the missing cocaine, which had a $210,000 street value, was evidence in a case that has already gone through the appeals process.

While the theft has not compromised it or any other cases, parish leaders are already researching new ways to collect and store evidence.

"We will hopefully get to a barcode system, everyone uses the same barcodes. So if a police officer gets evidence from the street he puts it in a bag there's a barcode on the bag, it's scanned in and that same scan can be used later on in court," Moore explained.

But that system could take time to set up and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For now, Moore said, the evidence is under a new security system equipped with two keys and surveillance cameras.

Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.