A jury has found an Ohio police chief guilty of stealing property from the surrogate who carried Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s twins, reports People. Martin’s Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter was arrested after he reportedly met with freelance photographers in May 2009 to discuss selling them various personal items, including a poem, pictures of ultrasounds, other photos and legal documents pertaining to the surrogacy agreement.
Carpenter, 40, had maintained his innocence throughout the trial, insisting that he never stole anything from Michelle Ross, the surrogate, and was simply joking with the paps about selling her things.
"I stand by what I say. I didn't burglarize no home," Carpenter told investigators in a videotaped interview. "I don't want to give up a 17-year police career for something that was a joke."
However, after 12 hours of deliberation, the jury found Carpenter guilty of receiving stolen property, theft in office and tampering with evidence. On the bright side, he was found not guilty on two counts of burglary and one count of unauthorized use of property. But that probably won’t provide much comfort to Carpenter, who still faces up to ten years in prison. Until his sentencing on Dec. 10, the former police chief is confined to his mother’s home and has to wear a GPS tracking device.
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