In its report issued Tuesday afternoon, the review panel said the sergeant should have either turned down the bequest or resigned from the police department. But it also faulted his superiors, both for not applying the Portsmouth Police Department's policies and for failing to communicate the developments to the police commission,
NPR
reports.
Geraldine Webber was in her 90s and had dementia when she died in December of 2012, according to news reports. Seven months earlier, she had changed her will to leave the sergeant items that included her house, stocks and bonds, and a Cadillac.
Seacoastonline
says Webber's final will diminished "previous bequests she had made to medical institutions and the Portsmouth police and fire departments."
Some of those parties who saw their bequests shrink have challenged Webber's will. That line of inquiry remains open, as probate court hearings have focused on whether Webber was capable of managing her affairs and whether the sergeant unduly influenced her.
Ralph Holmes, the lawyer who revised her will over the course of eight months, says Webber was a sharp woman who knew about her holdings. Local newspaper
The Union-Leader
says Holmes also detailed some of the time Webber spent with the police officer.