Drug War Issues
Louisiana cops go down in a contraband cigarette conspiracy, a Massachusetts narc gets suspended for threatening to plant dope on a teenager, a Tennessee chief deputy gets popped for stealing from the drug fund, and more. Let's get to it:
In Monroe, Washington, a state prison guard was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly accepting bribes to smuggle meth into the prison. Guard Michael Bowden, 31, went down after an FBI investigation using confidential sources turned up information he was accepting bribes and then created a sting where Bowden thought he was carrying meth into the prison. He is charged with three counts of extortion under color of official right and one count of attempted distribution of methamphetamine.
In Jackson, Tennessee, a former Wayne County chief deputy was arrested last Friday on charges he stole more than $7,700 from the department, including money from the agency's drug buy fund. Gerald Baer, 62, now faces two counts of theft over $1,000, 111 counts of forgery, and one count of official misconduct. He's now out on $75,000 bond.
In Springfield, Massachusetts, a Springfield narcotics detective was suspended Monday for threatening to kill and plant drugs on two teenagers who stole an unmarked police car. Detective Greg Bigda is suspended for 60 days after video of his encounter with the youths showed he threatened to crush the skull of one of the teens and plant a kilo of cocaine in his pocket. Local defense attorneys are now using the video to impeach Bigda's testimony in pending drug cases, and two cases have already been dropped. Bigda has not been charged with any crime, but the Hampden District Attorney continues to investigate the incident.
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