HARTFORD, Michigan — A now-retired West Michigan Chief of Police is admitting guilt in a case that alleged she stole drugs from a medication disposal box and sold those drugs.
Tressa Beltran pleaded guilty to one count of delivery or possession with intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a controlled substance, and one count of use of a computer to commit a crime.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said this plea deal accompanies a sentencing agreement that if accepted by the judge, would call for a minimum prison term of 2 to 3.3 years, and a statutory maximum of 20 years.
The other six charges, which included embezzlement by a public official, misconduct in office, larceny and extortion charges, would be dropped if the judge accepts the plea deal.
The AG's office said Beltran admitted under oath that while she was working as the City of Hartford’s chief law enforcement officer, she possessed controlled substances with the intent to deliver them and that she used a computer to arrange to deliver controlled substances.
“I am grateful for the collaborative investigation between the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and my department that has allowed us to remove a rampant criminal from her position as Police Chief,” said Nessel. “My office will continue to pursue accountability and public integrity when people in positions of power and public trust abuse their office and harm their communities. Public integrity matters, public health matters, and a drug-dealing police chief cuts deeply against both."
She's due back in court on June 24 for her sentencing hearing.
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 accused her of using her position as Chief of Police to commit her alleged crimes.
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."
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