Chula Vista
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A police officer was indicted Tuesday on 13 felony counts linked to the alleged sale of a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine, prosecutors said.
Nathaniel Hines Jr., a member of Chula Vista’s police force, is expected to be arraigned today in San Diego Superior Court on 10 counts of selling ephedrine, two counts of grand theft and a sole charge of misappropriating public funds, Deputy Dist. Atty. William Collins said. Hines also was charged with one misdemeanor count of petty theft, Collins said.
Ephedrine is one of the primary substances used to make methamphetamine.
The 10 sale counts stem from five transactions, each charged under two state laws, Collins said.
The two grand theft counts allege that Hines took cash from suspected drug dealers and kept a portion for himself, Collins said. The last felony count alleges that Hines falsified records of money he paid to an informant, Collins said. The petty theft count charges that Hines appropriated a portable television, Collins said.
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