Trial of officer accused of planting evidence goes on

A Baltimore police officer whose body camera showed him placing a soup can with drugs inside in a trash-strewn lot said the footage was intended to serve as a re-creation of his finding the drugs for “documentation” purposes. Officer Richard Pinheiro Jr., 30, said he forgot to turn on his body-worn camera when he first found the drugs in a lot in Southwest Baltimore in January 2017. He decided to return them to the area, activate his camera and then retrace his steps to show how he found the evidence. Pinheiro was one of several officers who testified in his defense Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court. He is charged with fabricating evidence, a misdemeanor that carries up to three years’ imprisonment, and misconduct in office, for which the court is free to choose any penalty. The footage was made public months after the incident by the public defender’s office, and drew national attention. Closing arguments are expected to begin this morning.