A former Illinois deputy pleaded guilty to a false report in a 2020 evidence room scandal and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Don Ferguson, a former Starke County sheriff’s deputy, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to filing a false police report related to a 2020 investigation into missing drugs and cash from the department’s evidence room. Indicted in 2022 on multiple charges including official misconduct and theft, Ferguson was acquitted on four counts and faced a hung jury on four others. As part of a plea deal, the remaining charges were dropped, and he was sentenced to 60 days in jail and four months of probation. The case, which involved evidence room security and accountability, concluded after years of legal proceedings.