Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers Head Facing Jail Time Over Eating Evidence in Court
The executive director of the Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers program is facing up to two weeks in jail on a contempt of court charge after he stuffed a piece of paper with an anonymous tip into his mouth instead of turning it over to a judge.
NBC6 South Florida reports that Richard Masten was appearing before Judge Victoria Brennan on Friday when the judge requested to see a printed tip related to a cocaine possession case. The former police chief instead ripped off a piece of the paper and proceeded to eat it before tossing the rest of the paper away.
Masten had been ordered to share the tip, without the source, with the judge after an attorney for a woman charged with cocaine possession asked to see the information it contained.
Masten felt differently, claiming it would be a ‘slippery slope’ if anonymous tips were not held in confidence.
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