A detective praised for his work solving the murder of children's author Helen Bailey has been charged with stealing £9,000 from a police safe.
Det Sgt David Sharpe, 40, a member of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, worked on the murder case in 2016.
He appeared at Cambridge Magistrates' Court earlier charged with two counts of theft from Hertfordshire Constabulary.
He was suspended from duty in March.
The Bedfordshire Police officer is charged with stealing sums of £4,490 and £4,590 from a safe belonging to Hertfordshire Constabulary between 18 December 2018 and 19 March 2019.
He was suspended from his role when the allegations came to light earlier this year.
He appeared before magistrates who committed the case to Cambridge Crown Court at a date yet to be set.
The police officer was an inquiry team leader working on the murder of Ms Bailey, whose body was found in July 2016 in a cesspit at the home in Royston, Hertfordshire, she shared with her partner Ian Stewart.
Stewart was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 34 years in February 2017.
Det Sgt Sharpe, who has been released on unconditional bail, received a commendation for demonstrating the very highest standards of detective work for his role in solving the murder.
