A former Ellis County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, who resigned in March, was arrested on several charges related to the alleged theft of three firearms from the sheriff’s office property room, of which two are tied to an open burglary case.

Philip Gary Slaughter II has been charged with two counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, three charges of theft and a charge of tampering with a governmental record.

“At the request of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers were asked to assist in a theft investigation at the sheriff’s office,” Sgt. Lonny Haschel, the Texas Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer, stated in an email. “As a result of the investigation, 41-year-old Phillip Slaughter of Midlothian was arrested on Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. in Cedar Hill and taken into custody without incident.”

Slaughter was booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center at 8:41 p.m. on April 15.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office was informed by the Ennis Police Department that officers recovered firearms, reported stolen from the ECSO office, at Ennis Pawn. The firearms recovered were a .36 caliber Colt revolver model No. 1862, a second Colt revolver model No. 1860 and a Taurus semi-automatic pistol. These firearms were allegedly pawned on April 5. Ennis police stated Slaughter was the person identified on the pawn receipt, according to the affidavit.

Slaughter, who was employed with ECSO from Oct. 21, 2001 to March 28 when he abruptly resigned as the criminal investigations division lieutenant, was the supervisor in charge of the sheriff’s office evidence room.

“Ellis County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Bryan McGee traveled to Ennis Pawn and identified the three firearms as being or been property in the ECSO Evidence Room. Capt. McGee reviewed the ECSO Evidence Room inventory report and observed that two Colt revolvers were evidence in an open burglary investigation and were supposed to be in possession of the ECSO evidence room,” Texas Ranger Adam Sweaney stated in the arrest warrant affidavit. “Capt. McGee further observed that the Taurus pistol was in evidence in a closed narcotics investigation and was reported on a motion for destruction of weapons order by Phillip Slaughter to have been destroyed on Nov. 19, 2015 in Midlothian.”

The affidavit states that Slaughter requested the destruction of the gun from Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Jackie Miller Jr. on Nov. 18, 2015. Slaughter then allegedly filed the motion for destruction with the sheriff’s office evidence room, indicating the Taurus pistol had been destroyed.

Slaughter remains in custody, separate from the general population, at the Ellis County Detention center as of 2:16 p.m. on Monday with bonds totaling $510,000. The Texas Rangers and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the case.

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