Clues point to theft at NLV cop vault

North Las Vegas Police say all clues seem to be pointing toward theft when it comes to criminal evidence missing from the department's vault.

A routine internal audit revealed the missing evidence that North Las Vegas Police Lt. Mike Blackwell described as "considerable but not earth shattering."

While he would not divulge specific items, he said the value is "more than $100 and less than $100,000."

"We are not aware of the exact problem, but more and more it is pointing toward theft rather than a mistake," Blackwell said.

Blackwell, who has been with the department for 25 years, said this is the first time in his memory that items have come up missing from the evidence vault.

Allegations that two guns that had been placed into evidence came up missing during the recent prosecution of a case involving an ex-felon accused of possessing a firearm are not valid, according to Blackwell. The gun were found after the court appearance.

"The guns were not where they were supposed to be and the officers couldn't find them, but they were there," he said. "It's a problem and we're working on it."

North Las Vegas City Attorney Richard Maurer said he asked for the state to investigate, rather than conduct an internal investigation.

Blackwell said he feels current security measures are inadequate and must be addressed once the investigation by the Nevada Division of Investigations is concluded.

"We have requested that they expedite the investigation," Blackwell said.

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