HARTFORD, Mich. — A now-retired West Michigan Chief of Police is facing a slew of charges related to alleged misdeeds on the job.
Tressa Beltran, 57, retired as the Hartford Chief of Police earlier this year, but she's accused of stealing drugs from a medication disposal box from the police station, dealing narcotics and extortion on the job.
Detectives from the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office launched the investigation after multiple tipsters informed them that Beltran had been dealing drugs, in some cases on duty, in uniform and in her squad car.
That's when the Michigan Attorney General's Public Integrity Unit got involved and accuses her of using her position as Chief of Police to commit her alleged crimes.
Eight felony counts and one misdemeanor, were filed in the 7th District Court in Paw Paw. Here are the 9 charges:
- One count of delivery or possession with the intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a controlled substance;
- One count of using a computer to commit a crime;
- One count of extortion;
- One count of embezzlement by a public official over $50 in value;
- One count of misconduct in office;
- One count of larceny in a building;
- One count of possession of less than 25 grams of a controlled substance;
- One count of possession of a controlled substance/analogues;
- One count of possession of a Schedule 5 controlled substance.
Testimony from one of the sheriff's department detectives revealed that they first became suspicious in June 2022, and after some digging, they allege the crimes date back to 2017.
Detectives came up with an idea to mark pills and their containers, and then drop them off at the Hartford medical disposal box in the police lobby.
After telling the chief exactly the type of medication in these marked containers, detectives returned within a few days asking to dispose of the medication inside the box.
What they found was the bag they had dropped off into the disposal box had been tampered with, and many of the pills were missing.
After serving a search warrant at the Hartford Police station, they found evidence bags that were torn open and controlled substances stolen from inside of them.
Detectives said that Beltran didn't have a prescription for these controlled substances.
Her search history on her computer showed she had been trying to identify pills.
Detectives checked in with the Michigan State Police Department to find out if she had sent in pills to the lab, and the only record was marijuana-laced brownies.
Detectives also conducted a search warrant on her personal and work phones and found that she had been purchasing oxycodone pills via text message. The court testimony reveals that she would ask to buy "puppies" when she was setting up a purchase of the pills.
The testimony also alleges that "[Beltran] told him that she was the chief of police and that she would make things bad for him if he didn't sell pills to her. And being that he was on parole, she also told him that she would contact his parole officer if he said anything."
During her arraignment Wednesday, Beltran's attorney said she has undergone significant treatment following the allegations.
She posted bond Wednesday afternoon.
“I would personally like to thank everyone involved with this investigation. When information comes to the sheriff’s office about law enforcement officers doing acts that are unlawful or inappropriate, we will investigate these allegations to the fullest extent possible. The entire investigative team obtained information and were able to build a quality case based upon the experience and knowledge they have gained over the years," Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott said.
“This was a complex case and involved many parts that have been put together to hold those in positions of public trust accountable,” Sheriff Abbott said. “With the cooperation of the City of Hartford, we have been able to bring some resolution to this case and will continue to hold everyone accountable for their actions. We thank the Michigan Attorney General’s office for the hard work and dedication during this investigation.”
“The majority of Michigan law enforcement officers perform their duties with integrity and with the knowledge that they are not above the law,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Members of law enforcement are expected to follow the law and not use their positions for illegal purposes. The Public Integrity Unit of my office is committed to holding accountable officers who misuse the public’s trust and we will continue to investigate and prosecute such cases.”
She's due in court next for a probable cause conference on June 14.
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