Former New Miami Police Chief Harold Chip Webb was sentenced Monday, July 20 to 13 months in prison for his role in a case involving stolen evidence money and the attempted destruction of police evidence.Webb, 49, previously ple aded guilty to attempted tampering with evidence, a fourth-degree felony, and attempted theft, a first-degree misdemeanor.Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael A. Oster sentenced Webb to 13 months in prison and ordered him to pay $3,090 in restitution to the village of New Miami and $400 in fines. The misdemeanor carries a 180-day jail sentence, which will run concurrently with the prison term. Webb faced a maximum sentence of 18 months.Oster said he considered Webbs cooperation with investigators and his military service when imposing the sentence.As part of a plea agreement, Webb testified before a grand jury and during the trial of co-defendant Casey Gilpin.Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser previously cited Webbs cooperation and acceptance of responsibility as reasons for reducing the charges. Although Webb pleaded guilty to attempted offenses, Gmoser has said the facts show he was directly involved.Public trust is the victim in this case, Gmoser said Monday, describing the matter as a process crime involving the improper handling and disposal of evidence.Before sentencing, Webb apologized to village officials and residents.It was not my intent to fraud and deceive, he said. I made a very selfish decision. I have thought about that decision every day since then.Oster said cases involving law enforcement officers are especially significant because of the public trust placed in them.Police departments and the justice system itself are in a very unique and specific position of public trust in the United States of America, he said. When a law enforcement officer violates that, it makes it difficult to trust in our justice system.Oster said many citizens question whether officials are held accountable when they break the law.Theres a lot of our public when they hear no ones above the law, they quite frankly dont believe it, he said. They think certain people are only entitled to a slap on the wrist.Justice will be for all. No one will be above the law.After the sentence was imposed, Webb was handcuffed and taken into custody.Gmoser told Journal-News following the sentencing that he was pleased with the outcome.Accountability and process crimes are matters of public trust, he said. It is important to me to have a deterrent factor in Gilpins case and an accountability factor in Webbs case.If youre a violator of public trust, dont expect to avoid a severe sentence, he added.A lifelong Butler County resident and father of five, Webb most recently worked for the U.S. Postal Service, according to defense attorney Stew Mathews. Webb is a U.S. Air Force veteran, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has no prior criminal record.Webbs wife and two daughters attended Mondays sentencing hearing but declined comment afterward. Mathews also declined to comment.The wife of Webbs co-defendant, former New Miami auxiliary police officer Casey Gilpin, also attended the hearing. She said her husband was following Webbs directions and should not have received a longer prison sentence.My husband is serving three years for signing a piece of paper, she said. Hes in general population, and hes a police officer, and once they find out hes a police officer, I dont know whats going to happen to him.Co-defendant previously sentencedGilpin, 48, was sentenced earlier this year to 36 months in prison after being convicted on six felony counts.A Butler County jury found him guilty in May following a two-day trial and about 90 minutes of deliberations. Judge Keith M. Spaeth revoked Gilpins bond immediately following the verdict.Gilpin was indicted in November 2025 following a yearlong investigation into actions that occurred between June 12 and July 7, 2024. Prosecutors said the case centered on the mishandling of evidence and official records.The investigation began July 3, 2024, when acting Police Chief Dan Bower requested assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation after discovering missing money in the departments evidence room.Investigators found more than $3,000 missing from a drug-trafficking case, along with another $500 used for police operations and controlled drug purchases.Village council removed Webb as police chief on June 27, 2024, and later terminated his employment.According to Gmoser, Webb attempted to improperly dispose of evidence before issues with the materials were discovered. Prosecutors said Webb submitted a request to destroy evidence at an incinerator at Cincinnati Childrens Liberty Campus, a facility Gmoser said does not exist.During his trial, Gilpin testified that he regretted signing paperwork authorizing the destruction of evidence and said he did so at Webbs request.Both men are now convicted felons and are no longer eligible to serve as police officers.The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO.com. ...read more read less