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Date: 8/10/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Daniel Spaulding, a former West Springfield police captain, was found guilty of taking more than $17,000 from the evidence room at the city’s Police Department and using it for personal use, such as paying his mortgage.
According to a press release provided from the office of Attorney General Maura Healey, Spaulding appeared in Hampden Superior Court for a five-day bench trial. Judge Michael Callan found Spaulding guilty on the charge of “Use of Official Position to Obtain and Unwarranted Privilege.”
Spaulding’s sentencing will take place on Sept. 21.
When a referral was made from the West Springfield Police Department and the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office began an investigation. Through their research, authorities found that from May 2016 to May 2017, Spaulding had taken over $17,000 from the evidence room. They also discovered the missing cash and evidence bags had been replaced by Spaulding in May 2017.
“From 2011 to 2016, Spaulding oversaw the department’s Detective Bureau and the evidence room. In October 2016, he was transferred to the role of administrative captain, but retained access to the evidence room. In March of 2017, the West Springfield Police Department conducted an inventory of cash in their evidence room that had been forfeited by the court and discovered that there were three missing evidence bags of money totaling $17,611,” read the press release.
It continued, “In May 2017, the AG’s Office interviewed Spaulding who was not forthcoming about the details of the missing evidence bags. Spaulding later turned over the missing evidence bags to the West Springfield Police Department, saying he had believed they had been tampered with and took the money to his office for safekeeping to give to the auditors. When the money was turned over, it was examined by investigators who determined that some of the bills were paid out by the Federal Reserve after the date the money had been originally seized, indicating that the money from the evidence bags had been replaced.”
Working this case was Chief Trial Counsel Jim O’Brien and Special Assistant Attorney Jane Tomic. Both individuals are a part of AG Healey’s Criminal Bureau. Additional assistance came from Financial Investigator Jill Petruzziello, Senior Victim Witness Advocate Megan Murphy, and Senior Digital Evidence Analyst James McCoy of the AG’s Digital Evidence Lab.
The AG’s office reported that the West Springfield Police Department and the city of West Springfield fully cooperated throughout the ongoing investigan that was handled by the Massachusetts State Police.