A South Georgia police officer is facing felony charges after being accused of swiping a suspect's belongings during a traffic stop. Dustin Matejcik, a 30-year-old officer from Glennville with the Lyons Police Department, was arrested on allegations of felony theft by taking and felony violation of oath of office, reported FOX 5 Atlanta.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) got involved at the request of Lyons Police Chief Wesley Walker on Wednesday last week, following the March 22 traffic stop incident. According to 13WMAZ, Matejcik had assisted in an arrest during the stop and was tasked to hand over the arrestee's personal items to their employer, a task he apparently failed to complete.
The missing property — which included the individual's money, passport, and keys — came to light when the department was contacted the next day about collecting the arrestee's belongings. The GBI's findings indicate that nobody came to pick up the property, and Matejcik did not turn the items into evidence. Matejcik was booked at the Toombs County Detention Center.
The case's progress will be closely monitored as the GBI completes its investigation. Once the investigation is finished, the case will be handed over to the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to the GBI. Details about Matejcik's upcoming court appearance have not yet been released.
