Ex-employee who stole cash, drugs from sheriff’s crime evidence storage gets probation
One of two former Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office employees charged with stealing drugs, cash and weapons seized during crime investigations will spend a year on probation after pleading guilty earlier this month to four misdemeanors.
Marc E. Gordon on April 1 waived his right to a jury trial, changed a previous not-guilty plea and admitted to one count of official misconduct and three counts of theft, court records show.
Sedgwick County District Judge Tyler Roush immediately sentenced Gordon to 12 months in jail on all counts, to be served concurrently, then suspended the term and placed the 47-year-old on probation for one year, court records show.
Under the terms of his probation, Gordon must maintain a full-time job, avoid using drugs and alcohol, submit to random blood and other testing and obey all laws and orders from his probation officer, according to a court filing memorializing the sentence.
The other former employee who worked in tandem with Gordon to carry out the thefts, 55-year-old Robert White, is facing possible prison time when he is sentenced on April 29, court records show. White pleaded guilty in January to 12 charges that include felony official misconduct, several counts of drug distribution and several thefts.
Authorities have previously said the pair were responsible for watching over crime evidence stored at the Sheriff’s Office Property and Evidence Building at 815 W. Stillwell but for months abused their positions, pocketed cash and stole pills, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, guns and other items, including a samurai sword, that oftentimes were due to be destroyed.
Some of the drugs and guns went to others who sold them to dealers for profit, court records show.
At the time they were the only full-time, on-site employees in the building; White worked as a property and evidence supervisor and Gordon was a technician. They were fired from their jobs on Feb. 27, 2020, after an investigation into missing items uncovered their crimes.
