Ex-DPS worker accused of taking forfeited cash

A longtime employee at the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety admitted she took funds seized during traffic stops for personal use, an investigator has reported.

Stephanie R. Ware, 52, of Edmond, was fired Oct. 25 on gross misconduct grounds after coming under investigation. She had been the agency's asset forfeiture coordinator since 1999.

She was tasked with "documenting, counting, filing and making deposits of all seized assets for the Department of Public Safety," the investigator, Trooper Kevin Logan, wrote in October in a request

for a search for records from a “My Passport” hard drive.

The trooper reported that Ware admitted in an interview that she had removed seized money for personal use approximately 15 times since 2015.

“She estimated that the first amount she took was approximately $1,000 and the largest she took was approximately $10,000,” the trooper reported.

Ware has not been charged. The investigation of her came to light Friday when the Department of Public Safety filed court records relating to the hard drive search.

Ware has had financial difficulties that led her in 2014 to file a petition in bankruptcy court for relief from certain debt obligations.

The Oklahoman could not determine Friday whether Ware has hired an attorney. She could not be reached for comment.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma have faced criticism in the past for seizing cash from drivers during traffic stops even when no arrests were made. Legislators this year may consider a reform measure requiring more disclosure from law enforcement agencies on how much they seize.