Former deputy with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office faces felony charge related to official misconduct.

A former deputy with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office is facing a felony charge related to official misconduct. Officials say 32-year-old, Austin Rowlands, who served as a detective sergeant with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office before voluntarily resigning, is the accused. ISP started an investigation Sept. 28 after the department received a complaint that accused a police officer of “maliciously” damaging personal property, including a TV, a vehicle and a surveillance camera system…while executing a warrant at a home in Angola. Rowlands is accused of throwing a “Rambo style” bowie knife at a TV during the warrant, which left the knife stuck in the screen. During an interview with investigators, Rowlands reportedly said that drugs can be hidden in TVs, and he opted to cut into the TV instead of taking it apart with a screwdriver due to time constraints. A witness also reportedly saw Rowlands use an axe to knock down two surveillance cameras on the front of the house before he swung the axe into the passenger side door of a pickup truck parked at the house, leaving the axe in the side of the truck until someone told Rowlands to remove it. The case continues.