Nebraska police officer stole guns from department, state patrol says

LINCOLN, Neb. — A law enforcement officer in the Nebraska Panhandle is accused of stealing guns from his police department and selling them.

The Nebraska State Patrol arrested Bryan Martinez, 32, on Tuesday at his home in Gering.

Martinez works for the Minatare Police Department and the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office.

In January, a retailer told the patrol that Martinez had written a bad check. During that investigation, the patrol learned that multiple firearms were missing from the police department.

Investigators say that Martinez sold three department guns to a pawn shop.

Martinez was placed in the Scotts Bluff County Jail on suspicion of theft by unlawful taking and issuing or passing a bad check.