Retired Norristown Pennsylvania Police Officer Det. Sgt. Jack Pennington Arrested, Charged With Trafficking Methamphetamine

NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA – A retired police officer, still carrying his badge, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine in and around the Norristown area, and using his power to control prospective buyers, the district attorney announced Thursday.

Standing before a table littered with illegal narcotics, handguns, law enforcement IDs and cash, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman explained how Jack Pennington, a former detective sergeant with the Norristown Police Department, allegedly spent time at local watering holes and other locations distributing drugs.

Ferman said Pennington used his past position of authority to protect himself.

“It suggests to the community, when they get away with it, that they are protected,” she said during a press conference Thursday morning.

“This man acted as if he was protected. He acted as if the rules did not apply to him – that the law did not apply to him – and he used this badge for cover. That affects both law enforcement and the community very negatively.”

Montgomery County Detectives investigated an anonymous tip made in March and located Pennington Tuesday at the Plymouth Meeting Mall around 4:30 p.m., where he was allegedly meeting his supplier. Members of the DA’s Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) followed him throughout the day and reportedly watched as he met with “customers” in the area of the mall, driving a silver Cadillac sedan, which had a law enforcement insignia in plain view.

Investigations reportedly saw Pennington reach both arms into another vehicle in the parking lot of the mall and make a delivery. Detectives then took Pennington into custody.

At the scene, police found a paper bag, which was later determined to contain three ounces of crystal methamphetamine and almost $7,000 in cash. Officers also found $9,470 in cash on Pennington’s person with a retired Norristown police badge and other credentials in his pockets.

“The advantage that it gives him is that people are afraid to report him, afraid to tell on him and afraid to take action,” said Ferman.

“And they believe – not accurately – that nothing will be done because he carries this badge. It’s a ruse.”

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Former Veteran Arapahoe County Colorado “Sheriff Of The Year” Patrick Sullivan Pleads Guilty In Meth For Sex Case For Slap On The Wrist – Will Serve Time In Jail Named After Him – His Former Gay Lover Snitched On Him

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO – A former Colorado sheriff once named national “Sheriff of the Year” has pleaded guilty to charges of trading meth for sex and was sentenced to 38 days in jail, KUSA-TV reports.

Patrick Sullivan, the 69-year-old former Arapahoe County sheriff, will serve his sentence in the county jail named after him, although he will be separated from the general jail population. He will also be on probation for two years.

“I apologize to the court, to the community, to my family,” Sullivan said in court on Tuesday before being taken into custody. “There is no excuse for my behavior.”

Deputy Attorney General Michael Dougherty called Sullivan “a man who’s brought disgrace upon himself and law enforcement” and “a disgrace to the badge,” the Denver TV station reports.

Sullivan was arrested in November in an undercover sting operation set up by a gay lover of his and another gay man, all of whom had previously smoked meth together, The Denver Post reports.

Sullivan served as sheriff for 18 years and was named “Sheriff of the Year” by the National Sheriffs’ Association in 2001.

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Hero To Zero: Former Arapahoe County Colorado Sheriff Patrick Sullivan Locked Up In Jail Named For Him After Offering Meth In Exchange For Gay Sex

CENTENNIAL, COLORADO – A former Colorado lawman with a record so distinguished he was once honored as the nation’s sheriff of the year now finds himself in a jail that was named for him, accused of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance.

Patrick Sullivan, 68 — handcuffed, dressed in an orange jail uniform and walking with a cane — watched Wednesday as a judge raised his bail amount to a half-million dollars and sent him to the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility.

The current sheriff, Grayson Robinson, who worked as undersheriff for Sullivan from 1997 until he took over the job in 2002, said the department was shocked and saddened at his arrest.

Robinson said the case is still under investigation, including where and how Sullivan might have gotten the drugs. He declined to say if authorities suspect Sullivan of using drugs, or if others might be charged.

The Post reported court documents in several other cases show that Sullivan in recent months had been associating with young men fighting an addiction to meth. When the former sheriff was questioned about it, he said he was working in a state drug-treatment program.

Sullivan later told detectives he was on a meth drug task force and helps recovering addicts get clean, according to another report.

The Colorado attorney general’s office said there was no record of Sullivan working on a meth task force.

Sullivan’s arrest has many in suburban Denver’s Arapahoe County where he held sway for nearly two decades wondering what happened to the tough-as-nails lawman they once knew — a law officer known for his heroism in saving two deputies and for his concern about teenage drug use.

“This isn’t the Pat I know,” said Peg Ackerman, a lobbyist for the County Sheriffs of Colorado who often worked with him on legislation. She said he was concerned about drug use in schools and was a chief of security at a school district.

At the brief hearing, Judge William Sylvester told Sullivan not to contact anyone involved in the case.

Sullivan’s attorney, Kevin McGreevy, did not return calls seeking comment.

Sullivan came to the attention of law enforcement after an Oct. 4 call to authorities from a home in Centennial, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy who responded had worked for Sullivan and knew who he was.

After investigating further, the deputy learned from two confidential informants that Sullivan was dealing meth but would sell it only if they had sex with him, the document stated. He was arrested after police set up a sting at a home.

Deputies found that Sullivan had handed someone a bag of meth and had another bag on him when he was searched, according to the affidavit. Both bags weighed less than a gram.

Sullivan served as sheriff from 1984 until his retirement in 2002.

In 2002, then-U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo praised him on his retirement, citing Sullivan for promoting homeland security and for being named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff’s Association.

In 1989, Sullivan was hailed as a hero. During a gunman’s rampage, he rescued two deputies after crashing his truck through a fence and protecting them while they were loaded into the vehicle.

While those who know Sullivan were puzzled by the news, some said they weren’t surprised that a person of his stature could get involved. They said meth users will do almost anything to feed their habit and often hurt others in the process.

“This drug knows no economic, social, professional or occupational boundaries,” said state Rep. Ken Summers, who served on a legislative meth task force.

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Former Section Alabama Police Officer Ryan Evans Arrested In Meth Lab Raid

DUTTON, ALABAMA - Jackson County officials say a former Section police officer is in jail after a meth lab raid in Dutton.

Chief Deputy Chuck Phillips said investigators received complaints of possible drug manufacturing at the residence.

Phillips says 26-year-old Ryan Evans was arrested Wednesday after a more than month-long investigation.

Evans is charged with manufacturing of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

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