Saturday, July 11, 2009

Feds Arrest 2 Deputies for Trafficking Methanphetamines

Federal agents arrested two Hockley County Sheriff's Deputies in a drug raid Friday.

They charged 28 defendents, including the deputies, in a 110-count federal indictment for trafficking methanphetamines since 2003 in West Texas, California, and Arizona.

"What in the world is going on? There was a loud boom," said Deedria Ellis who lives across the street from a house federal agents searched Friday. The boom was a flash bomb used when the agents forced their way into the Levelland house, belonging to Bobby Froman. It was the culmination of a multi-agency investigation lasting several months.

Friday, federal, state and local law enforcement arrested 23 of the 28 defendants involved in methanmphtamines trafficking. Froman's house stands across the street from a day care as well as Ellis' home where she lives with a 6-year-old son. Ellis said, "I was expecting something like this to happen. I knew it was going on."

During the investigation Friday morning, ATF called Hockley County Sheriff's Department's Chief Deputy Gordon Bohannon to help with the raid, but when he got there they arrested him instead and searched his car.

Ellis said the officer's involvement didn't surprise her either. "I knew Bohannon was crooked from the day I met him," she said.

It did surprise the Hockley County Sheriff, David Kinney, that two of his officers were involved. "I got a call this morning from an FBI agent about 7:30 a.m., and he advised me that he had my chief deputy in custody," said Kinney.

Chief Deputy Bohannon and narcotics officer Jesse Quintanilla were among those arrested. Kinney knew the two officers were involved with Froman, but thought their relationship was professional because they used Froman as an informant.

Kinney says the FBI contacted him about these two officers involvement with Froman about a month ago, but told him there was nothing for him to worry about. He does not know of any other officers involved in the drug trafficking. "If my guys are guilty of this, then they need to be under the jailhouse because they know better," said Kinney.
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Video:
Two Hockley County Sheriff's Deputies arrested in large, federal drug raid

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