A former Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy has been sentenced following a multi-year investigation into missing evidence at the county sheriff’s department.
The Indiana State Police Investigations Division at the Lowell Post began looking into the case in January 2020, after reports of drugs and cash disappearing from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department evidence room.
A grand jury indicted Don Ferguson in September 2022 on multiple charges, including four counts of official misconduct (Level 6 felonies), theft of a firearm (Level 6 felony), theft (Class A misdemeanor), false reporting (Class B misdemeanor), and conversion (Class A misdemeanor).
After years in the court system, a jury trial in August 2025 resulted in Ferguson being found not guilty on four of the eight charges, including two counts of official misconduct, theft of a firearm, and misdemeanor theft. The jury was hung on the remaining four charges.
On September 23, 2025, Ferguson pleaded guilty to filing a false police report. The remaining charges were dismissed. He was sentenced to 60 days in the Starke County Jail and will serve four months of probation following his release.
