A former Elmira police officer has pleaded guilty after admitting she shared confidential information that compromised a felony drug investigation, prosecutors said.
Shyonna Pacheco, 26, of Breesport, entered a guilty plea March 31 in Elmira City Court to attempted hindering prosecution in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor.
According to the Schuyler County District Attorney’s Office, Pacheco was arrested in October following an investigation by New York State Police into misconduct tied to her role as a city police officer. Authorities said she accessed confidential information related to a class B felony drug investigation and passed it to a relative connected to the target of that case.
Prosecutors said the information was then relayed to the investigation’s target, ultimately compromising the case and any potential prosecutions.
As part of the plea agreement, Pacheco was required to resign from the Elmira Police Department, which she did prior to her court appearance. Officials said additional instances of misconduct involving confidential information were uncovered during the investigation but were not prosecuted under the terms of the plea.
The case was handled by the Schuyler County District Attorney’s Office due to a conflict of interest involving the Chemung County District Attorney’s Office.
Pacheco is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 at 2 p.m. A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered ahead of that hearing.
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