A Jacksonville police officer arrested on multiple drug-related charges by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office has been fired following an internal investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department.
Initially, a Jan. 4 drug raid conducted by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office netted not only Jacksonville officer Charles Wells, but his wife, Melissa Wells, at their Cabot home.
Both were arrested and then taken to the Lonoke County Detention facility. A narcotics investigation prompted the search warrant, officials say.
The couple was arrested on nine misdemeanor counts of possession of a prescribed medicine without a prescription and one felony count of possession of a prescribed medicine without a prescription, according to a press release from the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office.
The press release reads, “Located and seized at the residence were numerous bottles of prescription medication in various names.” Some of the prescription medication allegedly belonged to deceased individuals.
The day after the Wells’ arrest, Jacksonville Police Department public information officer, Capt. Kenny Boyd, said Wells was on leave pending an internal investigation. Boyd said Wells has worked for the department since 1998.
That investigation uncovered several allegations and Boyd said on Wednesday, Jan. 13, that Wells had been fired the day before.
Documents released Jan. 13 by the department revealed that Wells had warrants listing both theft of property and abuse of power offenses issued against him by the Jacksonville District Court. Around 4 p.m. of the same day, Wells turned himself in at the police station in downtown Jacksonville. Wells was then arrested on one misdemeanor count each of theft of property and abuse of office. Bail for his second arrest was set at $1,000.
The incident uncovered during the investigation apparently took place Feb. 5, 2009. One of the documents released by the department alleges two officers, one identified as Wells, had responded to a Madison Street residence in reference to a deceased person. A witness told the other officer that the woman had refused to go to the emergency room at 5 a.m. and she was found unresponsive at 2:30 p.m. That woman had been treated for cancer for about five years.
A funeral home was summoned to the scene and medications prescribed to the woman were collected and listed on the report as destroyed, police say. Those medications included Gabapentin, Spironolactone, Ondanesetron and Clonidine.
During a Jan. 11 search of Wells’ home, Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported finding five bottles of prescription medication in the name of the deceased woman.
Those medications were identified as Gabapentin, Spironolactone, Ondansetron and Clonidine. Gabapentin may prevent migraine headaches as well as being used to relieve pain. Spironolactone is a diuretic. Ondansetron is given to patients undergoing chemotherapy to lessen nausea. Clonidine treats various medical conditions ranging from insomnia to Tourette Syndrome.
On Jan. 11, the other officer who responded to Madison Street residence advised that the medicine had been placed into two plastic bags and “Sgt. Wells stated [to the officer] that he would take the medicine to the PD [Jacksonville Police Department] and destroy it.”
Wells had been promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2004 but in 2009 he was demoted to the position of officer, Boyd said.
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