ITeam: Trooper Caught Freeloading Has Been In Trouble Before
BOSTON (CBS) - A State Trooper whom the I-Team exposed as freeloading in a high end mobile home on city property has been in trouble before.
The I-Team reported on Thursday that Sgt. Jay Staples, a 30-year veteran of the State Police, was living in an RV parked on city property without paying rent or parking fees. He also appeared to be using electricity without permission.
Now, the I-Team has learned that Staples faced serious allegations in 2006 involving explosives that went missing during a drill at Logan airport.
State Police spokesperson David Procopio confirmed that State Police conducted an investigation after explosive material disappeared during the drill.
The material was placed on a Massport truck that drove away. The Massport employee was not aware that the explosives were on the truck.
The explosives were never found.
It's believed they either fell off the truck or were somehow removed.
Investigators looked at the lack of care involved in handling the material.
"The Department's internal investigation led to charges against Sgt. Staples for violations of State Police policy and procedure and rules and regulations for his mishandling of the explosive," Procopio said in a statement.
A trial board found Staples not guilty of any infraction.
Procopio noted that "the explosives had no firing mechanism or fuse with them. One of the concerns at the time was whether the material, alone, posed a danger, and the conclusion reached was that it could not explode without a firing mechanism to trigger the explosive, even if it were run over by another vehicle."
