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Unified Police detective accused of misusing public funds appears in court

Posted at 3:57 PM, Mar 26, 2015
and last updated 2015-03-27 09:21:35-04

SALT LAKE CITY – A Unified Police Department detective accused of misusing public funds was in court Thursday morning for his initial appearance.

Det. Kenneth Callahan allegedly misused public funds by receiving money to purchase illegal narcotics as part of drug investigations—but for about $8,500 in funds received there were no narcotics logged as evidence, and in other cases Callahan had allegedly requested funds for cases that had been closed or cases that weren’t actually drug related.

In the 46 cases were drugs were not logged as evidence, no money was returned to the Unified Police Department. Callahan has been charged with misuse of public money as a second-degree felony and official misconduct, which is a class B misdemeanor. UPD stated Callahan has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

Callahan’s attorney, Fred Metos, said Thursday they are not commenting at this stage.

“Once we get the police reports and see what they’ve done, then we’ll have a better idea of what their claims are and how they can say that this was a misuse of public funds,” he said.

Clayton Simms, a criminal defense attorney, spoke to FOX 13 News about the case last week and said the issue could have ramifications for cases Callahan was involved with.

“It could create problems for the police and the prosecution if they are just relying on that officer who’s in trouble for the case,” he said.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill addressed those concerns last week: “We have other evidence and other officers that can carry the integrity of that case forward.”