HARTFORD, Mich. – The former Hartford police chief is facing the possibility of 20 years behind bars after she pled guilty to two felonies.
Tressa Beltran pleaded guilty Thursday, April 18, to delivery or possession with the intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and use of a computer to commit a crime.
She was initially charged in June 2023 with eight felonies and a misdemeanor, all linked to crimes allegedly committed while she was chief of police. Beltran was accused of selling and stealing controlled substances and using her influence to extort others to provide her with controlled substances, illegally possessing several different types of controlled substances, and committing embezzlement.
According to authorities, Beltran admitted under oath on Thursday that she possessed controlled substances with the intent to deliver them and she used a computer to arrange to deliver controlled substances while working as Hartford’s police chief.
Beltran was forced to surrender her Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards license and can never be employed as a police officer in the state again.
The investigation was launched after detectives from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office received tips about Beltran allegedly stealing and selling prescription drugs.
Beltran is expected to be sentenced June 24.