Officer charged with stealing from charity raffle resigns

WATERTOWN, Conn. – A Connecticut police department says an officer has resigned after he was charged with stealing jewelry from a police-sponsored charity golf tournament.

Watertown Chief John Gavallas says 26-year-old Christopher Masayda resigned in lieu of termination. The Republican-American reports that Masayda appeared in court on Thursday and applied for accelerated rehabilitation.

Accelerated rehabilitation is a pretrial diversion program and could lead to the dismissal of charges if a defendant completes the program. A ruling is expected Jan. 11.

State police arrested Masayda on Nov. 6 after he was seen allegedly stealing $600 worth of jewelry that had been donated as raffle prizes for a golf tournament raising money for a cancer treatment centre.

Masayda’s lawyer says his client is a perfect candidate for accelerated rehabilitation and was “a fine officer.”

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Information from: Republican-American, http://www.rep-am.com