Investigation finds former Oklahoma detective mishandled evidence

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – An internal investigation has determined that a former Oklahoma police detective “grossly mishandled evidence” in a quintuple death case.

Tulsa County Chief Public Defender Corbin Brewster read the internal affairs report Monday. The report says that it appears former Broken Arrow Police Detective Gayla Adcock also violated legal requirements regarding the disclosure of evidence to attorneys.

The Tulsa World reports that Adcock resigned last month during an investigation over her actions when a hard drive with potentially significant evidence became lost on her watch. It was related to the case of 19-year-old Michael Bever, who faces murder charges for the 2015 deaths of five family members and an assault charge related to a 13-year-old sibling who survived the attack. Police say a 2-year-old sister was unharmed.

Bever’s trial is scheduled for April.