A former Michigan police chief who was charged with stealing narcotics from her department and planning to sell them was sentenced on Monday to 40 months to 20 years in prison.
Tressa Beltran was chief of the Hartford Police Department when she stole the drugs in 2022.
Beltran retired in January 2023 and was charged in May 2023.
“Today’s sentence delivered a clear message that no one is above the law,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose office filed the charges, said in a written statement. “I commend the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent investigative efforts that led to the removal of Ms. Beltran from her position as police chief, ensuring she could no longer jeopardize public health. My office will continue to pursue public integrity and hold accountable those who abuse their positions of power."
In April, Beltran admitted she had drugs with the intent of delivering them and said she used a computer to arrange the delivery. She pleaded guilty to one count each of delivery or possession with the intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and use of a computer to commit a crime.
Beltran also is prohibited from serving in law enforcement again.
Detectives from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Beltran after receiving several tips in the summer of 2022 that she was stealing drugs from a disposal box at the police department. As part of the investigation, detectives marked two bottles of hydrocodone, an addictive painkiller, in the drug disposal box and found that some of the pills went missing.
