Nearly 60 felony cases have been dismissed by a Cullman County grand jury due to allegations against several former Hanceville police officers accused of mishandling evidence.

The same grand jury brought indictments against four former HPD officers, Police Chief Jason Marlin and one of the officers’ spouses in February. Those charges mostly included tampering with police evidence — which was shown to have been kept in an unsecured locker inside the police department — and the use of office for personal gain.

When the jury reconvened in April, it approved to dismiss 58 felony cases tied to the former officers according to a statement released by Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker on Wednesday, May 7.

Crocker also included the findings of an audit conducted by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations in December 2024. The report showed four out of 25 total evidence packages were unlabeled and did not have case numbers attached.

Several packages included in the report were said to have been unsealed and missing its contents, including more than $900 in cash and two boxes of collectible, teflon-coated ammunition valued at $90 each.

Crocker said the majority of the dismissed cases have been drug related offenses, however, several did involve crimes again individuals.

“One dismissal is too many, but the Grand Jury had no other recourse,” Crocker said in his statement.