Linn due in Kenosha County Court Thursday afternoon
By Jason Arndt
Editor
Dennis Linn, charged with three felonies, has voluntarily resigned from the Twin Lakes Police Department amid an internal investigation on allegations he illegally took prescription medication from the department.
Linn, the now former police captain, tendered in his resignation, effective March 5, according to Twin Lakes Police Chief Adam Grosz.
Linn, who was on administrative leave, expects to make his initial appearance in Kenosha County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon on three counts of possession of narcotic drugs, party to a crime, and one misdemeanor theft charge.
Linn became the subject of an investigation on Feb. 11, when a colleague saw several “red flags,” according to court documents filed in Walworth and Kenosha counties.
On Feb. 11, Linn allegedly offered to help his colleague box medication from the department’s drug take back program, which had been held in the evidence room.
“The detective stated that this was the first time that the defendant had offered to help with packaging the medication,” the complaint states.
The complaint contends Linn began looking at, and reading the different prescription pill bottles, while they were packaging the medication.
Additionally, the complaint states Linn was carrying plastic bags during the process, and disposed of some of them in a nearby garbage can.
“When the defendant dropped the bags in the garbage can, the detective heard what sounded like pills rattling,” the complaint states.
When he left the room, the colleague searched inside the garbage can and found a prescription pill bottle labeled Pxycodone.
After the colleague discovered the bottle, she contacted her supervisor, who instructed her to place a body camera near the garbage can.
Eventually, when the colleague returned to garbage can, the bottle and pills were missing.
At the request of Grosz, an investigator with the state Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation came in to lead the criminal investigation.
The investigator and a representative with the state Department of Criminal Investigation reviewed footage from the body camera the following day.
The state agent, according to the complaint, saw Linn return to the garbage can and place an item in his pocket and leave.
Wife charged
Meanwhile, in Walworth County, his wife, Cheryl, made an adjourned initial appearance March 1 on charges of possession of narcotic drugs, party to a crime, possession of THC along with possession of drug paraphernalia, according to online court records.
The charges relate to a Feb. 13 search warrant of a Village of Bloomfield home she shares with Dennis.
An affidavit filed in Walworth County indicated authorities allegedly uncovered three empty prescription medication bottles not labeled for anyone living at the residence. Two of three were Hydrocodone and the other was Oxycodone. Both are narcotic pain relievers.
A short time later, according to the complaint against Cheryl Linn, Walworth County authorities stopped a vehicle she was driving in Lake Geneva.
The complaint contends Cheryl Linn had given a deputy a metal pill bottle with eight white pills identified as Hydrocodone and another narcotic medication.
Cheryl Linn allegedly told the deputy she had a prescription for them, but did not have the labeled medication bottles with her at the time of the stop, according to the complaint.
The deputy then searched the vehicle and found 10.56 grams of a substance that tested positive for marijuana, the complaint states.
Cheryl Linn, who was free on $10,000 signature bond since Feb. 18, will next appear for a preliminary hearing on March 18.
The Report will have more on this developing story as more information becomes available.