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Former officer accused of switching pills seized as evidence

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October 17th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A man has been accused of taking prescription pills seized during criminal investigations when he was working as an Altoona police detective. Polk County court records say 39-year-old Joshua Copeland is charged with two counts of felonious misconduct in office, two counts of forgery and one count of possession of a controlled substance. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.

The Des Moines Register reports that Copeland resigned in April from the Altoona force to avoid termination. Authorities say Copeland switched pills seized during criminal investigations in 2017 and replaced them with over-the-counter medications. The pills were kept in temporary evidence lockers.

Authorities also say a small amount of methamphetamine was found in his squad car. The records say Copeland later tested positive for meth.