Former Radford City Police Employee Convicted of Malfeasance

In September of 2020, the Radford City Police Department became aware of a discrepancy in funds stored as criminal evidence in the police department’s custody. Upon discovery, Radford Police Chief Jeff Dodson immediately initiated a full inventory of the evidence room, review of all associated records, and an internal investigation.

Upon further review, additional questionable transactions were discovered from cases ranging from 2017 to 2019. In October 2020, the internal investigation identified a former employee as being connected with the financial discrepancies. Chief Dodson then requested the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Salem Field Office to conduct an independent criminal investigation.

Once state police completed its investigation, the criminal investigative findings were turned over to the special prosecutor appointed to the case. On June 11, 2021, Robert Andrew Wilburn, 52, of Ripplemead, VA, was charged and plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of Malfeasance in Public Office. Mr. Wilburn retired as a Lieutenant from the Radford Police Department in late 2019. Upon the guilty plea, Mr. Wilburn made restitution in the amount of $2,418.25 to the City of Radford.

Chief Jeff 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.”