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Former Salisbury Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty To Larceny Charges

NEWBURYPORT (CBS) - Salisbury's former police chief has been released on personal recognizance, after a brief court appearance on larceny charges Monday morning.

Former Police Chief David L'Esperance made a brief appearance at Newburyport District Court to face four counts of larceny and receiving stolen property.

Court documents show L'Esperance allegedly stole an extension cord and some tools from a vehicle that was impounded at the police station back in 2007. In a separate incident, he allegedly took a World War II-era explosive device and a Hell's Angels booklet seized from a suspect's home.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports.

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A police report described L'Esperance as a "kleptomaniac" who took items seized from suspects.

Last year, authorities say he accepted a Dodge pickup truck, which a company called SPS had donated to the town, and allegedly "gave it away" to a friend who owns a salvage yard in Amesbury.

That truck ended up being sold to a Maine resident without property documentation.

An internal police investigation also found that L'Esperance had made numerous deals on used cars, car parts, and town-owned police cruisers over the years.

L'Esperance pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court August 8th.

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