STORY: Former sheriff's deputies sentenced to probation for conspiring to sell drugs they stole, by reporter Steven Mayer, published by Bakersfield.com on August 7, 2017.
GIST: "Two former Kern County sheriff's deputies, Logan August and Derrick Penney, who conspired with another law enforcement officer to sell drugs they stole from evidence lockers, were sentenced here Monday morning to probation. They will do no prison time. The disgraced officers, who both admitted to besmirching the badge and betraying their fellow officers, their families and the community, had faced maximum sentences of five years. But in an extraordinary and tearful sentencing hearing presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence O'Neill, the two officers were spared prison time by the judge, who was clearly moved by the defendants' remorse, their decision to voluntarily confess everything to investigators, the pain the families have already suffered, and the unwavering support the two wives have given their husbands.........Federal prosecutors had recommended a nine-month prison term for August, who was seen as more deeply involved than Penney. In a sentencing memorandum filed last month, prosecutors said a nine-month term was appropriate for August in part "because the need to deter police corruption of this kind is of paramount importance." Prosecutors said August used his position as a deputy to steal marijuana that would have been destroyed and instead helped spread it into the community. "Defendant's actions were motivated by greed, and he committed these crimes repeatedly over a nine-month period," prosecutors said. "His conduct has tarnished the reputation of the KCSO." Prosecutors recommended probation for Penney, noting there was no evidence of his criminal activity beyond his one-time theft of marijuana from the storage unit. Penney was the first to go to authorities and helped convince August and former Bakersfield Police Department Detective Patrick Mara to join him in coming clean..........Mara and his former BPD partner, Damacio Diaz, are currently serving five-year sentences in federal prison for stealing methamphetamine and putting it back on the streets for profit. All four former cops have admitted to their crimes. According to the plea agreements, August and Penney stole marijuana from the sheriff's storage unit that had been previously confiscated from illegal grow operations. “On or about September 19, 2014, in furtherance of this conspiracy, Penney and KCSO Deputy August used their KCSO-issued keys to gain access” to the department’s marijuana storage unit, the agreements state. The two admitted to cutting the tops off plants and placing them in trash bags, storing the pot at Penney's home until another co-conspirator retrieved it. That person trimmed the plants into usable cannabis. About eight pounds of saleable pot was then returned on multiple occasions to Penney, according to the documents. He then delivered the product, over a period of time, to August, who provided it to an individual who had previously worked for him as a confidential informant. That person sold the weed and shared the profits with August, who then shared the money with Penney."
The entire story can be found at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the
Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my
previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put
considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith
and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic
pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses
on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
