Millsboro PD Officer Indicted for Drug Tampering
A Millsboro Police sergeant has been indicted for drug tampering. An investigation by the Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust revealed that 34 year old Matthew Dufour tampered with and used drugs stored in the Department’s evidence locker. Dufour faces 10 charges and is currently on administrative leave without pay or benefits by the Millsboro Police Department.
The charges against Dufour are as follows:
- Two counts of Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree, a Class E Felony
- One count of Forgery in the Second Degree, a Class G Felony
- Two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing, a Class A Misdemeanor
- Four counts of Obtaining Controlled Substances by Theft, a Class F Felony
- One count of Official Misconduct, a Class A Misdemeanor
On February 19th Dufour was found unresponsive in his marked police vehicle showing signs of a drug overdose. He was treated at the scene with Naloxone – toxicology analysis showed the presence of fentanyl, oxycodone and cocaine in his system. The investigation, which included an audit of all drug evidence in Millsboro PD custody, indicated Dufour deliberately mishandled drug evidence set for destruction on as many as 13 occasions from November 2022 through February 2023. The investigation ultimately revealed that Dufour only tampered with evidence on closed cases and that was set for destruction — however, the potential shadow that Dufour’s misconduct cast on drug evidence that he could have accessed led prosecutors in March to drop several pending criminal cases in accordance with their ethical and constitutional responsibilities.
If convicted on all charges, Dufour faces a sentence range of 0 to 27 years. Dufour’s indictment was secured by the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust, following investigations led by the Delaware State Police and Millsboro Police Department.
