Plains Twp. officer charged with using drugs from evidence room

LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Plains Township Police officer and member of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force is charged with taking and using crack cocaine seized from investigations.

According to Luzerne County Detectives, an investigation started on April 26 when Timothy Minnick, 45, of Bear Creek Township, was found near Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center hallucinating.

Police stated Minnick claimed he smoked crack cocaine and a search of his police car was conducted. Inside the car investigators said they discovered small pieces of a white rock-like substance that tested positive for crack cocaine.

Detectives then searched Minnick’s office where several evidence envelopes sealed with evidence tape were tampered with. One envelope was discovered in Minnick’s desk with the words, “crack, 12g” and a case number but there was no crack cocaine found inside of it, as stated in the affidavit.

Four more envelopes were found to be tampered with inside Minnick’s office.

Court documents state Minnick had two envelopes that contained drugs seized during controlled buys in January 2023, and in November 2023, but were never sent to a laboratory to be analyzed.

Minnick was charged with acquisition of a controlled substance by deception, theft, obstructing administration of law, and tampering with public records.

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