SCHENECTADY---A veteran Schenectady police officer has been arrested on drug charges in connection with the ongoing investigation of missing drug evidence from the Schenectady Police Department.

Jeffrey Curtis, the father of two and a 20-year veteran of the department, was arrested Thursday night after hair samples he had submitted as part of the State Police investigation into missing crack cocaine from the department's evidence locker tested positive for drug use.

Officials said that all members of the vice squad had hair samples tested but only Curtis' came back positive for drugs.

According to State Police investigators, when Curtis was arrested while driving in Princetown, both powder and crack cocaine were found inside his vehicle.

He has been suspended without pay for 30 days.

State Police were called in to investigate the disappearance of 85 chunks of crack cocaine from the evidence locker of the police agency's vice squad.

One drug case has already been dismissed due to the missing evidence and at least three others may be in jeopardy, officials said.

Felony drug charges against Anthony Best, 43, of Lincoln Ave., had to be dismissed by Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago in January when prosecutors revealed the day before trial that they couldn't produce the drugs that were seized from Best's apartment during a raid.

In mid-February, Sgt. Daniel Diamond who supervised the vice squad was put on paid administrative leave on Feb. 14. Police said the suspension of the 18-year-veteran was directly related to the missing drugs.

Diamond was in charge of the evidence locker and was the fifth highest paid police officers in the city, making $115,000 last year and testified in virtually every department drug case.

Law enforcement sources said that Diamond had disclosed that he had found small amounts of drug evidence that he had inadvertently left in his personal car. Diamond was one of two vice squad supervisors. 3-16-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette