What Should Have Happened
- Officer with close personal relationship should not handle matters involving friends
- Official communications should use department systems, not personal phones
- Call logs and text messages should be preserved per retention policy
- Conflict of interest should trigger recusal from involvement
What Actually Happened
- Duva, with 20+ year friendship with Sheriff, retrieved Marc King from jail
- Personal phone used for official communications with Sheriff
- Duva admitted deleting call logs and text messages from November 2022
- Pattern of evidence destruction confirmed across multiple officers
People Involved
Event Details
Event Summary
Damon Duva gave sworn testimony under oath in the civil case Jones v. St. Clair County. This deposition revealed the extent of personal relationships involved and confirmed additional evidence destruction.
Key Admissions
Long-Standing Relationships
“I’ve known Mat King for probably around 20 years or more.”
“We were partners for a while in the car.”
“We were acquaintances. We’re friends, sure.”
Off-Channel Communications
“You’re texting and calling with Mat, the sheriff, on your personal phone? Uh-huh.”
Evidence Destruction
“Do you still have records of those calls and text messages? I doubt it, no.”
“Have you deleted call logs or text messages reflecting communications between yourself and the sheriff in November of 2022? I’m sure I have, yes.”
“Do you remember when you would have deleted those? I don’t.”
Pattern of Spoliation
Deputy Duva’s admissions about deleted communications mirror those of:
- Matthew Pohl (Captain)
- Chad Cronkright (Deputy)
All three admitted to deleting or losing text messages from the relevant time period.
Significance
This deposition established:
- 20+ year friendship with the Sheriff
- Personal phone used for official communications
- Evidence destroyed without any record of content
- Pattern confirmed - multiple officers deleted relevant communications