TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A former Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detective has been accused of misconduct and tampering with evidence after resigning from the agency last year.
Dalton Lewis has been charged with 73 total counts related to cases he reassigned or left unassigned before leaving the agency on Aug. 27, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Their investigation revealed that Lewis attempted to hide his 36 incomplete cases by assigning them to a retired employee or removing himself from them altogether.
Lewis was arrested at his home in Pasco County on June 27. He was charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence and 72 counts of unlawfully withholding or detaining records from successor by public officer or employee.
The sheriff’s office said in a press release that the cases were reassigned to other detectives and “no additional revictimization took place during the time that the cases were left unassigned”.
“Thankfully, the only harm he caused was to himself,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “And now, he will face the consequences for attempting to conceal those incomplete cases from the same people he once considered his peers. Let this be an example that nobody, including the men and women of law enforcement, is above the law.”