A former Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy, who retired in January, is suspected of stealing police evidence and selling it to pawnshops.

Deputy Thomas Rudenick joined the sheriff’s office in 1989 and, at the time of his retirement, was assigned to the suburban patrol division based in Arden Hills, according to a department spokesman.

After Rudenick’s departure, other officers closing out cases he’d investigated discovered “inconsistencies in some of the property records associated with the cases,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

“When it became clear that these were not caused by a clerical error, the investigation was immediately turned over to the Washington County sheriff’s office in order to assure an unbiased and transparent investigation,” the statement said.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. John Eastham elaborated: “It is true that Deputy Rudenick is under investigation for possibly pawning evidence.”

Washington County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dan Starry confirmed the investigation Friday and said investigators executed a search warrant Thursday at a home in Hugo. Property records show that Rudenick owns a home in Hugo.

Starry said more information about the case would be available next week and that he expects criminal charges to be filed. The Washington County attorney’s office will review the investigation and make a charging decision.

Starry, who did not know Rudenick, said Rudenick’s standing as a law enforcement officer will not change how the investigation is handled.

“If there’s criminal wrongdoing, we will investigate it just like any other case,” Starry said.

Katie Kather contributed to this report. Elizabeth Mohr can be reached at 651-228-5162. Follow her at twitter.com/LizMohr.