GLENDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
Glendale investigators said a retired Phoenix police sergeant
killed himself after a computer from his home was seized during a child
pornography investigation.
Glendale Sgt. Brent Coombs said AOL contacted Glendale police Jan.
9 with information that a computer from retired Phoenix Police Sgt. Don Casey
Jr.'s home had accessed child pornographic images.
Detectives seized the computer from the home that morning. Casey
was questioned, as were other adults in the house, Coombs said. However, there
was not enough evidence to make an arrest. "At that point, detectives did not have enough cause to arrest anybody," Coombs said.
"[It's] just that things were coming from that particular
computer, so further investigation had to be done," he said.
Investigators began a forensic analysis on the computer and the
hard drive. However, on Thursday the investigation took a tragic turn.
"Thursday afternoon about 1 p.m., our police department's
dispatch center received a phone call from a person identifying himself as Don
Casey," Coombs said.
During that call, Casey told dispatchers he was going to kill
himself. Police rushed to the remote scene off New River Road and found Casey
dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Unfortunately when we got there, we found an adult male on
the ground, away from a vehicle," Coombs said.
Investigators said it could be days, if not weeks before it can be
determined who accessed the child pornography from the home's computer.
A man who answered the door at Casey's home declined to comment.
Casey retired from Phoenix police in 2005 after more than 20 years at the
department.
Update: Creve Coeur,
Missouri: An officer has left his job in the wake of his arrest for
allegedly beating, choking and kicking two high school students while off-duty.
ow.ly/gJBH7
Corona, California:
An officer has been accused of failing to tell her supervisors about the
allegations that a 13-year-old boy was being physically and mentally abused by
a pastor and two other men. ow.ly/gJCVw