Minn. police captain "borrowed" Oxycontin from department evidence room

Photo by erix!

​ When Austin police captain Curt Rude was busted with two bottles of OxyContin from the departments evidence room, he claimed he had borrowed them to investigate the death of a friend who had overdosed on the pills. That's what they all say. Prosecutors argued he planned to use the drugs for fun time.

On Thursday, a jury convicted him of felony drug possession and another misdemeanor. He will likely face a fine, but no jail time for the crime. He's been on unpaid leave since the incident two years ago.

More from the Austin Daily Herald:

Wold argued that Rude took the pills "as a cop" so he could do research on them -- something he said was common for the former captain to do.

The defense attorney also argued that there was no clear policy regarding the APD evidence room, especially the barrel where Rude found the pills.

Instead, there was a "casual" system, Wold said -- one that worked well and was understood by Rude.

"Captain Rude is not a thief," Wold said during his closing. "He is not a drug convict. He is not a felon."