He is the head of the Police's Scenes of Crime Unit but tonight 42 year old Carlos Mencias is on the other side of the law. Mencias is accused of using his position to embezzle money from the department. How much money? Well police say $7,230.
A red flag was raised on December 3rd when the accounts department received estimates for repairs on a ford truck. The problem was that the truck wasn't in operation and instead of being fixed, it was sitting in a garage at the Police Department. That triggered n investigation and it revealed that between July 26 and September 24 - there were five fraudulent transactions. The sums were as little as $180 on July 26th to $2,650 on August twentieth.
Information presented in court revealed that Mencias would make the checks out to Burrel Pugh who would cash them at the bank and then hand over the cash to Mencias. In all he allegedly scammed $7,230 from the Department. He was today charged for five counts of obtaining property by deception. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail of $10,000. He was represented by Simeon Sampson.
As for his alleged accomplice Burrel Pugh, he was initially detained but has been released. Police haven't said if they'll charge him.
