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PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia Police officer admitted to using an impounded Porsche SUV to drive to his stepdaughter's prom in 2019 and was sentenced to a year of probation.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said Philadelphia Police Officer James Coolen, Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for taking a vehicle that was confiscated by the Philadelphia Police Department and using it for his stepdaughter’s prom.

In April 2019, Coolen seized a 2018 Porsche Cayenne SUV with a California registration during a narcotics investigation.

The Porsche was held as evidence and was placed in the Philadelphia Police Department Narcotics Bureau Headquarters’ secure parking lot. Coolen signed a property receipt storing the vehicle as evidence.

Two weeks later, the PPD Internal Affairs Unit got information from the bureau about the possible theft or unauthorized use of the vehicle, and opened an investigation.

After reviewing video surveillance footage of the storage area, investigators discovered that on April 25, 2019, Coolen drove into the secure parking lot with his personal pickup truck, parked near the Porsche, entered into the seized vehicle, and drove it away. Two days later, the Porsche was returned to the secure parking lot and the driver, who is not identified on video because it was dark, drove off the lot in Coolen’s vehicle.

In addition to video surveillance footage, Internal Affairs’ investigation also found:

Doorbell security surveillance video from Coolen’s next door neighbor’s house that showed the Porsche parked at Coolen’s home;

Photographic evidence that the Porsche was parked at Coolen’s home;

Coolen’s fingerprints on the Porsche’s GPS navigation system;

Electronic data recovered from the GPS system, along with other evidence, that indicated Coolen used the vehicle for his stepdaughter’s prom; and

A Philadelphia Police officer’s statement to Internal Affairs in which the officer said that he witnessed Coolen walk over to the Porsche, get in on the driver’s side, and drive out of the parking lot.

Coolen resigned from the Philadelphia Police Department before surrendering to authorities on October 3, 2019.

He pleaded guilty on Thursday and was sentenced to 12 months of probation.