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Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #602)
Drug War Issues

We've got two weeks worth of corrupt cops again: dope-peddling cops, dope-stealing cops, cops who rip off motorists, cops who rip off their departments, cops who take bribes, cops who squeal to dealers. Let's get to it:

In Weston, Missouri, a Weston police officer was arrested September 22 on two drug-related charges. Officer Kyle Zumbrunn, 26, was arrested by officers of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at the request of the Atchison Police Department. He went down after selling a suspected controlled substance to a KBI undercover officer. Zumbrunn now faces charges of sale of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and using a telephonic device to facilitate a drug transaction.

Is something amiss in the evidence room?
In Watertown, Connecticut, a Waterbury police officer was arrested September 24 on a variety of drug charges. Officer Francis Brevetti, 29, was injured in a traffic accident the previous weekend, and when police towed his vehicle, they found drugs inside. He is now charged with possession of cocaine, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of narcotics with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of marijuana with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In Baltimore, a Baltimore police officer assigned to a federal drug task force was arrested September 24 on charges he stole money and jewelry from houses targeted in drug raids and embezzled funds used to pay snitches. Officer Mark Lunsford, a six-year veteran, had been assigned to the Baltimore DEA, which conducts large-scale drug investigations. Now he's been assigned to a federal detention facility pending a bond hearing.

In Lyndhurst, Ohio, a former Lyndhurst police officer was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing drugs from the evidence room and replacing them with rock salt. Former officer Robert Colombo, 40, is charged with drug possession, tampering with evidence, and theft in office. Colombo responded to a May traffic accident, found heroin, arrested two people, and took the evidence to log it in to the evidence room. But instead, he replaced the heroin with rock salt. The heroin was found at his home the next day.

In West Columbia, Texas, a former West Columbia police detective pleaded guilty September 21 to five felony charges, including two counts of tampering with physical evidence and theft of a firearm by a public servant. Former officer Joseph McElroy, 33, admitted to stealing a gun and cocaine from the department evidence room, forging signatures on department checks, and falsely signing a collection book receipt saying he had returned money to someone when he hadn't. In exchange for pleading guilty, McElroy gets one year in jail and 10 years on probation.

In Miami, a former Miami-Dade County police officer pleaded guilty September 24 to stealing marijuana and cash from a driver during a traffic stop. Jesus Rodolfo Hernandez will do 30 days in jail for pulling over a confidential informant, arresting him for a traffic offense, and stealing marijuana and $575 in cash he found in the driver's back pocket. He pleaded guilty to grand theft, possession of marijuana and tampering with evidence. He will also spend two years on probation and must pay back the nearly $25,000 it cost to investigate and prosecute the case.

In Philadelphia, a former Philadelphia police officer was convicted September 24 of tipping off a friend about an impending drug raid. Former Officer Rickie Durham, 44, was found guilty of two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of lying to investigators for tipping off a cocaine kingpin hours before a raid four years ago, while he was working as a member of an FBI drug-gang task force. Durham now faces 12 to 15 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on January 6.

In Glendora, California, a former Glendora police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he stole drugs and money on the job. Former officer Timothy Radogna, 33, was charged in May with grand theft, possession of drugs for sale, and possession of drugs with a firearm. Radogna went down in an "integrity investigation" in December 2008, when he stole $1,000 and a small amount of methamphetamine from a car he was asked to book into evidence.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, the former Holland police chief was sentenced September 18 to two years in prison for ripping off the town in various ways, including stealing seized drug money. Former Chief Kevin Gleason pleaded guilty to larceny by scheme of more than $250 and two counts of larceny of more than $250. He admitted to selling town-owned guns and rifles and pocketing the money, receiving $655 in reimbursements for a conference he never attended, and stealing $2,190 in seized drug money from a locker to which he had the only key.

In Indianapolis, a former Indianapolis police officer was sentenced September 23 to 25 years in federal prison for using false search warrants or breaking into homes in order to steal drugs and cash. Former Officer Robert Long, 35, and two other now-convicted former officers were tracked by the FBI as they did their misdeeds. Long was found guilty in June of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 kilograms of marijuana, three counts of possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana and attempt to possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana. One of his comrades in crime took a plea deal and got the minimum 10 years in prison. A third renegade officer awaits sentencing.

In New York City, a former Customs and Border Protection supervisor was sentenced September 24 to 10 years in federal prison for turning a blind eye to drug trafficking through JFK Airport. Walter Golembiowski, 66, a former Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer at JFK, pleaded guilty in March to narcotics conspiracy and two counts of bribery conspiracy. He must also pay $10,000 in fines and more than $2.5 million in asset forfeiture.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Justice Road (not verified)

If you think Police Corruption is out of control now, visualize police going house-to-house, forcing vaccinations on people or dragging them off to be quarantined.

Recently the Massachusetts State Senate passed the Pandemic Response Bill, S. 2028: the bill appears to suspend Constitutional Rights of Massachusetts Citizens: the legislation sets fines up to $1,000 a day for anyone who refuses during a declared state health emergency, to submit to a vaccination, health quarantine or decontamination effort; or fails to follow any verbal order of a state-licensed law enforcement or medical personnel. The Massachusetts Governor is expected to sign the bill if passed by the House. Should mandatory vaccinations become law, it is foreseeable Massachusetts Citizens who strongly oppose mandatory vaccinations, do not trust government or wish to protect their right to say no might vehemently resist. You may read that MA legislation at:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/186/st02pdf/st02028.pdf

I have always been a Law bidding Citizen, that will however end the moment a government tries to force a vaccination on me.

Meanwhile a few days ago New York health workers including a large number of nurses, protested mandatory Swine Flu vaccines. You may read that story: N.Y. Health Care Workers Revolt Over H1N1 Vaccine: September 30, 2009: http://wcbstv.com/politics/swine.flu.h1n1.2.1216352.html

It is difficult to understand the logic of government health officials. If the Government believes that swine flu is worse for people with low immunity, why then does the government want to inject those people with vaccines that contain toxic substances that might perhaps lower their immunity further?

Fri, 10/02/2009 - 2:35pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Is there a count on the corrupt cops that have been busted during the drug war ?

Sun, 10/04/2009 - 3:46am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

The number will be stagering , !! The people are under paid and the rewards are huge . Until you get caught . It's a low down dirty shame that these laws still are on our shoulders. our guilt for allowing this is going to cause a lot of deep thought someday. Vote and get these laws repealed.

Mon, 10/05/2009 - 2:07am Permalink
disgruntled ve… (not verified)

That prohibition is a continuing violent fraud.

Wed, 10/07/2009 - 5:19pm Permalink

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