Former Radford Police lieutenant convicted of malfeasance

RADFORD, Va. (WDBJ) - A former Radford Police lieutenant has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor county of malfeasance in public office.

Robert Wilburn, 52 of Ripplemead, has paid the city back $2,418.25.

In September 2020, Radford Police noticed a discrepancy in funds stored as criminal evidence. Police Chief Jeff Dodson launched an inventory of the evidence room, review of all associated records, and internal investigation. That led to the discovery of additional questionable transactions from cases from 2017 to 2019.

A month later, the internal investigation identified Wilburn, who had retired the year before, as allegedly being connected with the discrepancies. Dodson then requested the Virginia State Police to conduct an independent criminal investigation. Once that investigation was over, the findings were turned over to a special prosecutor.

June 11, 2021, Wilburn was charged and pleaded guilty.

Dodson said, “The Radford City Police Department, as a long accredited agency, has zero tolerance of any malfeasance of office, especially when committed by a former employee. Situations like this can endanger public trust, but I want to assure our residents that this was an isolated incident and it was the very policies in place that helped us to effectively identify and fully address the evidential discrepancies. The Radford City Police Department is committed to providing the highest level of public safety and service to our city.”