Evidence Custodian Maria Montalvo

509-488-3314
mmontalvo@othellowa.gov

The primary duty of this area is maintaining the physical integrity and control of evidentiary items in the custody of the Othello Police Department.

The Police Department has one part-time Evidence Specialist working in the property room. The main objective is:

• Provide safe and physical integrity of property and evidence items for temporary and permanent custody, and
• Maintain a continuous permanent record showing a chain-of-custody signature log of all items under Property Room control.

Some of the duties include but are not limited to:

• The control, transmission, and receipt of evidentiary items required for forensic analysis by the Washington State Crime Laboratory entities.
• The introduction of evidentiary items into Superior and District Courts.
• To have direct contact with individuals about property that is authorized to be returned.
• To dispose of all evidentiary/property items upon completion of criminal court proceedings when authorized by competent authority.
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Release of Property: 

A letter will be sent to property owners with instructions on how and when property can be picked up.

Before evidence can be released, the case must be adjudicated with no pending appeal, or a signed release from the Prosecutor handling the case must be supplied. If there is more than one defendant in a case, evidence will be held until all pending charges are adjudicated.

When claiming property, you must provide photo identification. If you are picking up property for another person, you must have a signed, notarized statement from the owner, giving you permission to pick up their property. No property or evidence will be released to another party without a signed, notarized statement from the owner of the property or evidence.

Release of Firearms: 

Per RCW & Federal standards, a background check will be done prior to the release of any firearm.

Found Property: 

To claim found property, the officer will provide you with a Found Property Rights Statement. On the back of your pink copy are directions for claiming found property.  A written appraisal for the fair market value of the item in its current condition by either a qualified dealer of like item, or a district court judge in the county where the property was found is required. The appraisal must be submitted to the Police Department property/evidence room. The person claiming found property is responsible for the cost of an advertisement in the local newspaper for two consecutive weeks and 10% of the fair market value of the item they are claiming.