Ex-Cottage Grove officer admits stealing meth from evidence room

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former police officer in Cottage Grove has pleaded guilty to federal charges of stealing methamphetamine from a police evidence room.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 49-year-old Phillip Beach entered a guilty plea to knowingly and intentionally obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation and fraud while he was an officer in Cottage Grove, south of Eugene.

He appeared in federal court in Eugene and remains out of custody pending sentencing.

A Cottage Grove evidence coordinator reported suspicions about Beach’s alleged activity in May 2015, noting Beach would access the evidence locker more than any other officer and often for no specific reason.

Investigators placed hidden cameras inside the evidence room which recorded Beach removing methamphetamine.

Beach was suspended June 11, 2015, and the Oregon State Police was asked to investigate.

State records show Beach was fired as a Cottage Grove police officer in July 2015.