THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210483
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
A former state Alcohol Law Enforcement officer was charged Wednesday with four felony charges of destroying drug-case evidence.
James Louis ``Lou'' Wagner Jr., 36, is accused of altering or destroying cocaine while he was assigned to the Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency's field office in Nags Head.
Wagner resigned from the agency Sept. 11. Following his resignation, Agency Director Roland Dale reported the state's suspicions about Wagner's activities to the local district attorney - who immediately ordered an investigation.
After law enforcement officers contacted Wagner at his Kill Devil Hills home early Wednesday morning, the former agent turned himself in to authorities at the Dare County jail.
He is being held on $200,000 bond.
State officials said Wagner's arrest is part of Operation Season's Greetings, a four-month undercover investigation into illegal drug sales in Dare County. On Tuesday, officers arrested 37 of 52 suspects in connection with the operation in towns from Avon through Kill Devil Hills. Additional arrested are anticipated, police said.
Wagner's arrest will not jeopardize any cases that the evidence was taken from, Dale said. The cases either already have been adjudicated or other evidence exists to make the charges stick in court.
Police would not say how much cocaine Wagner is accused of having destroyed, or how, or how much it was worth.
Wagner served with the state's Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency for two years and three months. Prior to that, he had a 14-year career in law enforcement - serving several years with Outer Banks organizations. by CNB