Wauwatosa Police Detective Charged For Stealing Drugs From Evidence Room

Robin L. Schumacher

Police detective Schumacher was caught several times on video surveillance taking drugs from a disposal drug section in the department. 

By H. Nelson Goodson

July 23, 2013

Wauwatosa, WI - On Monday, Wauwatosa Police Detective Robin L. Schumacher, 38, was charged with two felony counts for misconduct in office and possession of narcotics and one misdemeanor count for theft in the access of $2,500. If convicted on all counts, Schumacher is facing up to 7 years in prison. Each felony counts carries a penalty of up to three years and the misdemeanor count up to nine months in prison.

Schumacher confessed to investigators that she had a drug addiction to pain killers that let her to steal drugs designated to be burned (destroyed) on July 11, by the Milwaukee County Sheriff's office. An inventory list of drugs confiscated for evidence and then marked for disposal indicated some of the narcotics were missing from the section designated for drugs awaiting disposal.  Det. Schumacher also used a key to get access to the restricted drug storage section to allegedly steal the narcotics. 

Investigators placed surveillance cameras on July 16 and Det. Schumacher was caught going into the room and then taking plastic bags of drugs that were placed on a disposal marked box. She then took the box outside to her vehicle and when she returned inside the department, the box was empty, according to the criminal complaint.

When she was arrested, department investigators found drugs (40 pills) on her person and a key to the restricted evidence room belonging to another employee that was on vacation. She had gone into the restricted evidence room six times between June 11 to July 11.

Schumacher was placed on paid suspension and Wauwatosa Police Chief Berry Weber has notified city aldermen, that he will ask the Fire and Police Commission to terminate Det. Schumacher.

She has been in law enforcement for the last 21 years, according to Weber. 

On Tuesday,  Det. Schumacher was in court and pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor count and will enter a plea at a later date for the two other felony charges. She is expected back in court for a preliminary hearing on August 2.