MCSO deputy accused of stealing money from dead person
Dec 12, 2018, 6:18 AM | Updated: 11:46 am
PHOENIX – A deputy with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has been charged with burglary and theft of a dead person’s belongings while on duty, the department said.
Gregory Todd Johnson, 39, was arrested Tuesday. A department statement said he had responded to a call about a body found in Mesa on Oct. 28.
During the investigation, detectives said they came across evidence that Johnson may have taken cash from the scene.
Investigators said a family member told them money was missing from the house.
They viewed body-camera footage and said Johnson later confessed in an interview to to taking between $500 and $600 off a bedroom dresser.
“I will not tolerate criminal behavior of any kind in this organization,” Sheriff Paul Penzone said in the statement.
“Our deputies are expected to reflect the highest standards and ethics.”
The department had begun the process of dismissing Johnson and were prepared to press more charges against him if evidence pointed to more illegal activity.