Officer Jonathan Pratt Arrested for Drug Possession

A reserve Athens police officer arrested over the weekend for drug possession is no longer with the force. The Athens Police Department removed Jonathan Pratt on Sunday. A Limestone County sheriff's deputy arrested Pratt on Saturday after a traffic stop.

The deputy stopped a car Pratt was riding in, and arrested him and the driver for possession of a controlled substance.

Athens reserve officers volunteer with the police department. They are not sworn officers. They work special events, wear a reserve officer badge, carry a gun, and sometimes drive a car. Most of the time, they ride with a police officer.

Athens Police Chief Wayne Harper says it's a shame what has happened.

Limestone County stopped the car Jonathan Pratt was a passenger in Saturday night. The deputy stopped the driver for speeding. Reports say the deputy then found prescription pills in the car.

"It's not a good thing, and it's embarrassing," said Harper. "Mr. Pratt's been with us for about a year. We did an in-depth background on him when we put him on our reserve unit and he checked out well."

Harper says Pratt had seemed like a good fit for the department.

"It's a bad situation," Harper said. "I wish it hadn't of happened."

Chief Harper says they had to take care of the situation.

"As soon as we found out we found out yesterday [Sunday], he was immediately relieved," said Harper. "He's no longer with the reserve program."

Harper says this shouldn't give the reserve program a black eye.

"They're a valuable asset. This in no way is representative of our reserve unit or our police department and i just wish it hadn't of happened," said Harper.

Athens Mayor Dan Williams says the city may evaluate drug testing the reserve officers.

"We do background checks on the people that come to work for us," said Williams. "The reserve officers are restricted in what they can do and they have to be with people who are certified policemen."

The report from the Limestone County Sheriff's Department says Pratt said he has a prescription for the pills found on him. There were other pills found in the car that were unaccounted for.

Chief Harper says Pratt came by the office Monday morning and apologized for embarrassing the police department.