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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Dispensaries duel for space in Jackson County ... Hunter-ed courses taken now will get kids afield this fall ... Heat may overcook chinook ... Dispensaries duel for space in Jackson County ... Hunter-ed courses taken now will get kids afield this fall ... Heat may overcook chinook ... GRANTS PASS Police volunteer suspected of stealing 30 firearms Comment By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 25, 2015 at 6:14 PM Updated Mar 25, 2015 at 6:16 PM By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 25, 2015 at 6:14 PM Updated Mar 25, 2015 at 6:16 PM » Social News A former Grants Pass Department of Public Safety employee is suspected of stealing dozens of guns from one of the police department's evidence rooms. Lee Darrow, 73, is a retired city firefighter who volunteered on a part-time, on-call basis in 2011 to help process firearms that had been confiscated as evidence in criminal investigations, Police Chief Bill Landis said. Over a two-year period, he is believed to have stolen about 30 firearms from evidence — mostly handguns but also some rifles, Landis said. Darrow was arrested Tuesday and was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on 28 counts of first-degree theft. He was being held in the Josephine County Jail on $15,000 bail. The thefts were discovered as part of a routine internal audit that is done each time a new public safety director comes on. Landis, who had been interim chief since former Chief Joe Henner's retirement, was sworn in as permanent chief in November. "Part of our policy is to do a complete, item-by-item audit of the evidence," Landis said, noting that the police department's evidence rooms contain about 50,000 confiscated items. "We determined there were some missing firearms," he said. Landis said Darrow was identified as the possible thief, and Oregon State Police were brought in to conduct the investigation. He said most of the guns taken have been located, and that many were found at Darrow's home. Jail records indicate that Darrow lives on Palomino Drive in the Colonial Valley area north of Grants Pass. Landis said he knows Darrow and that his arrest was disappointing. "You can put processes in place and you can do your best due diligence … but we still have to be able to trust people to do this job, and unfortunately that trust was betrayed," the chief said. He said that's why his department does audits like the one that turned up the thefts. "The positive in all of this is, we do have checks and balances to discover stuff like this," Landis said. Darrow retired as a city firefighter in 1990, Landis said. He volunteered in 2011 to assist police with the processing of firearms seized as evidence. Landis said many guns are destroyed after they are no longer needed as evidence, and others are auctioned off. Darrow worked in that capacity until sometime in 2013, when he was no longer needed because another part-time person became available for the duty, Landis said. By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 25, 2015 at 6:14 PM Updated Mar 25, 2015 at 6:16 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501