McDONALD, Pa.
A municipal police officer in Washington County faces charges of drug possession following his arrest yesterday in McDonald.
Michael Andre North, 29, of McDonald, is charged with buying what he believed were oxycodone pills, a painkiller legally sold only by prescription.
He obtained the counterfeit drug from a police informant, according to an affidavit.
Mr. North remains on the roster as a part-time officer in Donora, where he was hired in 2003, and Smith Township, which hired him in 2005. Officials in the two municipalities said Mr. North will be off the job while the case is pending.
Mr. North was arraigned yesterday by District Judge David W. Mark in Canonsburg on charges of possession of a counterfeit controlled substance and attempting to possess a controlled substance.
He was freed on his own recognizance, with a preliminary hearing set for 9:45 a.m. Thursday before Judge Mark.
According to the affidavit, Mr. North had an ongoing arrangement to provide transportation to a pharmacy for an informant who regularly obtained prescriptions for oxycodone. The informant would share the pills with the officer.
On Thursday, state and county investigators arranged to record a conversation between the suspect and informant as they made arrangements for the next purchase, the affidavit said.
The two agreed that the informant would obtain transportation and leave Mr. North's share of the drugs in the informant's mailbox.
On his way home from work Thursday, Mr. North retrieved what he believed were oxycodone pills from the mailbox. Police followed the officer to his residence, where he was arrested.
Officials in Smith and Donora said they saw no indication Mr. North used the drugs while on duty.
More Information: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28580707/
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