Christopher Howard Basso plead guilty in 7th District Court to possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony; tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance, class A misdemeanors; and trespassing, a class B misdemeanor,
The Carbon County Attorney’s Office filed charges against the former Carbon County Sheriff’s Deputy back on March 18. Prosecutors say he stole drugs from the evidence locker at the sheriff’s office where Basso was employed for 13 years. Chief deputy Tom Stefanoff stated that Basso was terminated by the department on Feb. 5.
County attorney, Gene Strate said that there were fears early on in the investigation that evidence had been contaminated and several cases would have to be thrown out. One criminal case was dismissed due tampered evidence but the remaining cases had already been presented and were insulated from the effects of Basso’s actions.
Strate went on to explain that Basso was on administrative leave at the time of the evidence theft and was originally charged with burglary, but questions of whether or not he had a right to be in the building reduced the charge to trespassing instead.
The former deputy was originally charged with burglary, a third degree felony, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, a second degree felony, and a single count of evidence tampering, a class A misdemeanor. The possession of controlled substance charges were in a drug free zone.
Basso is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 2