WEST BAY — The former airport police chief was arrested and charged Wednesday afternoon for a 2006 incident involving the alleged forgery of documents and theft of weapons that were scheduled for destruction.
Tony Walker resigned from his post as police chief of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 3 when airport officials were notified a criminal investigation was being conducted.
Walker was employed by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office from 1994 to 2009 and when the alleged theft took place he was assigned to the property and evidence section.
“The allegations are that when he was over the evidence room he was supposed to destroy weapons that were confiscated and he did not destroy them,” said Walker’s attorney, Waylon Graham. “He used them for his personal use and then sold them to pawn shops.”
Walker faces felony charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and tampering with evidence.
An investigation was launched three weeks ago when it was discovered Walker sold 23 weapons to local pawn shops on three occasions. Sheriff’s investigators noticed the large amount of unusual guns and began looking into their origins.
“We noticed an assortment and a large number of weapons that had been sold at pawn shops,” said Sheriff Frank McKeithen. “We found that one weapon was taken from a 2006 destruct order.”
When sheriff’s investigators learned the guns were sold by a former employee, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was brought in on the investigation.
“This is not something we like to do, but when this happens we have a track record that we deal with it,” McKeithen said. “It’s not swept under the rug or taken lightly.”
About 20 of the weapons Walker sold previously had been in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office as evidence. The Sheriff’s Office collects evidence such as drugs and weapons and they are disposed of in various ways. Drugs can be burned, cars can be sold at auction and guns can be traded or destroyed, McKeithen said.
“The evidence is stored in what we thought was a safe environment,” McKeithen said. “For the 2006 destruct order, (Walker) was in charge and everything was done to process, but not all the property was destroyed. … It was signed off by two people and we thought we had procedures and maybe we need to do something different.”
Investigators believe that prior to the weapons’ scheduled destruction, Walker falsified documentation to indicate they had been destroyed.
“Some forgery and manipulation of records was done by him,” McKeithen said.
A warrant for Walker’s arrest was issued Wednesday afternoon, and he turned himself in at about 3:30 p.m. He was released on bond after he was booked in jail. The investigation is ongoing and there could be additional charges against Walker, authorities said.
“Tony regrets what has taken place and he feels he has let down the Sheriff’s Office and the people who work there,” Graham said. “He feels really sorry.”
If Walker is found guilty of the charges, he will no longer be allowed to serve in law enforcement.
“He’s probably remorseful because he’s going to jail,” McKeithen said.
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
The chief of police at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, who resigned recently while under investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office, was arrested on felony charges this afternoon.
Tony Walker, who left the Sheriff's Office in 2009 to take the job as airport police chief, is charged with stealing guns slated for destruction in 2006 during his tenure as a deputy.
According to a news release from the Bay County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Frank McKeithen, about three weeks ago investigators learned that Walker, who was a sheriff's deputy prior to become chief of police at the airport, had pawned nearly two dozen weapons locally. The serial numbers on those guns revealed that about 20 of the guns "had previously been submitted as evidence at the Bay County Sheriff's Office, and had been scheduled for destruction" in 2006.
But Walker, the release said, "stole the weapons prior to the destruction, and falsified documentation indicating that they had been destroyed." At the time Walker was working in the department's property and evidence section.
Walker was booked into the Bay County Jail this afternoon on charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and tampering with evidence.
Walker served as a sheriff's deputy for 21 years before becoming chief of police at the airport in October, 2009. At the time, airport executive director Randy Curtis said Walker was hired for his education and experience.
Tony Walker resigned from his post as police chief of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 3 when airport officials were notified a criminal investigation was being conducted.
Walker was employed by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office from 1994 to 2009 and when the alleged theft took place he was assigned to the property and evidence section.
“The allegations are that when he was over the evidence room he was supposed to destroy weapons that were confiscated and he did not destroy them,” said Walker’s attorney, Waylon Graham. “He used them for his personal use and then sold them to pawn shops.”
Walker faces felony charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and tampering with evidence.
An investigation was launched three weeks ago when it was discovered Walker sold 23 weapons to local pawn shops on three occasions. Sheriff’s investigators noticed the large amount of unusual guns and began looking into their origins.
“We noticed an assortment and a large number of weapons that had been sold at pawn shops,” said Sheriff Frank McKeithen. “We found that one weapon was taken from a 2006 destruct order.”
When sheriff’s investigators learned the guns were sold by a former employee, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was brought in on the investigation.
“This is not something we like to do, but when this happens we have a track record that we deal with it,” McKeithen said. “It’s not swept under the rug or taken lightly.”
About 20 of the weapons Walker sold previously had been in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office as evidence. The Sheriff’s Office collects evidence such as drugs and weapons and they are disposed of in various ways. Drugs can be burned, cars can be sold at auction and guns can be traded or destroyed, McKeithen said.
“The evidence is stored in what we thought was a safe environment,” McKeithen said. “For the 2006 destruct order, (Walker) was in charge and everything was done to process, but not all the property was destroyed. … It was signed off by two people and we thought we had procedures and maybe we need to do something different.”
Investigators believe that prior to the weapons’ scheduled destruction, Walker falsified documentation to indicate they had been destroyed.
“Some forgery and manipulation of records was done by him,” McKeithen said.
A warrant for Walker’s arrest was issued Wednesday afternoon, and he turned himself in at about 3:30 p.m. He was released on bond after he was booked in jail. The investigation is ongoing and there could be additional charges against Walker, authorities said.
“Tony regrets what has taken place and he feels he has let down the Sheriff’s Office and the people who work there,” Graham said. “He feels really sorry.”
If Walker is found guilty of the charges, he will no longer be allowed to serve in law enforcement.
“He’s probably remorseful because he’s going to jail,” McKeithen said.
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
The chief of police at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, who resigned recently while under investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office, was arrested on felony charges this afternoon.
Tony Walker, who left the Sheriff's Office in 2009 to take the job as airport police chief, is charged with stealing guns slated for destruction in 2006 during his tenure as a deputy.
According to a news release from the Bay County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Frank McKeithen, about three weeks ago investigators learned that Walker, who was a sheriff's deputy prior to become chief of police at the airport, had pawned nearly two dozen weapons locally. The serial numbers on those guns revealed that about 20 of the guns "had previously been submitted as evidence at the Bay County Sheriff's Office, and had been scheduled for destruction" in 2006.
But Walker, the release said, "stole the weapons prior to the destruction, and falsified documentation indicating that they had been destroyed." At the time Walker was working in the department's property and evidence section.
Walker was booked into the Bay County Jail this afternoon on charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and tampering with evidence.
Walker served as a sheriff's deputy for 21 years before becoming chief of police at the airport in October, 2009. At the time, airport executive director Randy Curtis said Walker was hired for his education and experience.
Source: http://www.newsherald.com
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