After a career spent helping catch criminals, a retired Pittsburgh police detective is facing charges herself.
Margaret "Peg" Sherwood, 51, allegedly gave false information to prosecutors in two 2014 homicide cases and tried to stop a domestic violence prosecution to protect a jailhouse informant, according to an indictment unsealed in January by the state attorney general's office.
90.5 WESA legal analyst David Harris likened the case to the entrenched culture of "investilying" among New York City police being explored by the New York Times.
"Not only will there be a searching inquiry into these cases... but any other high-profile or any small-bore case in which she was involved and was a primary witness would now be open to question."
Sherwood waived her right to a preliminary hearing in February. Her nine misdemeanor charges include false swearing, unsworn falsification, tampering with evidence, obstruction, hindering apprehension and false imprisonment.
Harris said he expects she'll plead not guilty at her formal arraignment in April. Her attorney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his client didn't do anything wrong.
Sherwood was hired as a police officer in 1989 and retired in June after 27 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
