Former Indiana police chief accused of stealing more than $35K from evidence vault

Vincennes, Indiana – On Wednesday, a former Indiana police chief is accused of stealing over $35,000 from an evidence vault and using it for their own personal use.

A 48-year-old Former Vincennes Police Chief Dustin Luking, was arrested in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and faces felony charges of theft, official misconduct, and forgery. Luking’s wife, Bethany J. Shelton Luking, was also arrested and charged with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, a Level 6 felony.

The money stolen from the evidence vault isn’t the only funds alleged to have been stolen by Dustin Luking, according to an investigation by Indiana State Police.

An audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts also revealed other discrepancies involving former Police Chief Luking including over $14,000 being used for his own personal use between 2013 and 2016.

Bethany Luking’s charges stem from an August 2019 investigation that accused the former chief’s wife of stealing prescription medication from the McCormick Senior Center in Vincennes where Bethany was an employee.

According to State police, both were arrested without incident and are awaiting extradition from the Lawrence County Jail in Illinois.