A Denver police officer accused of recording himself with his own body camera as he stole $1,200 from a suspect’s vehicle has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 18 months’ probation.
Prosecutors say Julian Archuleta, 48, resigned from the Denver Police Department on Friday immediately after admitting to charges in the case. He pleaded guilty to first-degree official misconduct and second-degree theft, both Class 2 misdemeanors.
Archuleta, who had been on the force since 2004, was arrested Oct. 27, 2016. His case was the first in which criminal charges were filed against a Denver police officer based on his body-camera footage.
On Oct. 7, Archuleta, a patrol officer in northwest Denver, assisted in the investigation after two suspects in a vehicle fired shots in the direction of two police vehicles parked at a 7-Eleven store. A short pursuit ensued, investigators say, ending with the suspects’ vehicle rolling over near the intersection of East 50th Avenue and Washington Street.
The driver took off on foot and a passenger was left unconscious in the vehicle, police said.
Archuleta’s body camera recorded as he searched a suspect’s clothing and took pictures of the wrecked car, according to his arrest affidavit.
In the footage, Archuleta picked up a stack of cash with a $100 bill on top. He removed that bill, and the footage showed him shuffling papers and cash in his patrol car, the affidavit said.
A detective who later reviewed the body camera footage noticed the $100 bill and questioned why only $118 had been logged into evidence. Archuleta later produced $1,200 and told another detective that it must have fallen into his bag, the affidavit said.
The affidavit noted that Archuleta’s actions also violated Denver Police Department policy on handling evidence and/or personal property.
“Officer Archuleta’s actions at the scene … were a contributing factor in the decision by the District Attorney’s Office to decline the filing of formal charges on the aggravated assault case,” the affidavit says,
Archuleta was suspended without pay after his arrest. He was initially charged with tampering with physical evidence, a felony.
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