Bremerton detective resigns following theft accusation

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — A 15-year veteran detective with the police department in Bremerton, Washington, has resigned amid theft allegations during a 2019 drug investigation.

KOMO reports Det. Jeffrey Inklebarger was part of a team serving a drug search warrant at a home on Feb. 26 when the theft occurred. A home security system captured the theft on video and the homeowner brought the video to the attention of Bremerton Police officials last month.

Inklebarger was immediately placed on administrative leave while Tacoma Police was asked to provide an independent investigation into the matter.

Tacoma police alleged that the video showed Inklebarger taking money from the crime scene and stuffing it into his pocket, according to police case documents.

With the results in hand, Bremerton police began the process to fire Inklebarger last week, but he resigned instead on Saturday, police said.

Bremerton Police Chief James Burchett said in a statement: “Mr. Inklebarger’s actions do not reflect the values of the Bremerton Police Department nor are they representative of the ethical, hard working men and women of the Department."