Former Minneapolis cop sentenced to 3 years in prison for drug case

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A former police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years behind bars for the theft of drugs that he stole during traffic stops.

Former officer Ty Jindra was convicted in November on federal charges of violating civil rights through unconstitutional searches and seizures related to the case.

Investigators said that between September 2017 and October 2019, Jindra used his position as a police officer to obtain drugs including methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, tramadol, and other drugs by deception and by conducting unconstitutional searches and seizures during traffic stops.

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Prosecutors say, after seizing the drugs, Jindra would then fail to report or log the drugs into evidence, often surreptitiously pocketing the drugs behind the back of his partners.

Jindra had faced up to four years behind bars. He will begin his sentence starting in July, according to court papers.