A former southern Indiana police chief was arrested Wednesday on charges alleging he took more than $35,000 from an evidence vault.
Former Vincennes Police Chief Dustin Luking, 48, was arrested at a business in his nearby hometown of Lawrenceville, Illinois, and awaits extradition to Knox County to face charges of theft, forgery and official misconduct, Indiana State Police said.
The money was discovered missing from the Vincennes Police Department after an investigation began in July 2019, police said. Luking resigned from the department the following October.
An Indiana State Board of Accounts audit revealed more than $14,000 was used by Luking for personal use between 2013 and 2016, police said.
A separate investigation in August 2019 revealed prescription medication was missing at the Bettye J. McCormick Senior Center in Vincennes where, Luking’s wife, Bethany J. Shelton Luking, 49, was employed, police said. She has was charged Wednesday with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit.
Both Lukings were being held Wednesday in the Lawrence County Jail in Illinois awaiting extradition to Knox County, police said.
It was not clear whether either of the Lukings has an attorney who might comment on their behalf.