Officer Chris Buffaloe Faces Child Sex Crimes

A veteran law enforcement officer and noted canine handler and trainer has been charged with numerous counts for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

Christopher (Chris) Turner Buffaloe, 27, of Conway, was jailed Tuesday on $1,294,000 bond and has a first court appearance in Northampton County today (Thursday).

The date of offenses, according to warrants filed in the Northampton County Courthouse, and based on investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, range from March 1 to April 14.

The SBI investigation shows Buffaloe allegedly committed a range of crimes against the girl, from sexual intercourse to sending photos of his genitalia.

He faces the following charges:

Six counts of felony statutory rape that include alleged sexual activity with the child;

One count of indecent liberties with a child that alleges he committed and attempted to commit a lewd and lascivious act with the child;

One count of felony second-degree exploitation of a minor, a count that alleges he received and solicited material that contained a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity and a picture of the child’s sexual organ. The count alleges he asked the victim to send him naked pictures;

One count of felony solicitation of a child by computer. This count alleges soliciting by means of a computer and through texting a meeting for the purpose of committing an unlawful sexual act with the child; and

One count of disseminating obscene material, a charge that alleges he sent a picture of his genitalia to the child.

Buffaloe has worked with several law enforcement agencies in Northampton and Halifax counties throughout his career, to include the Seaboard Police Department. He was named in January of 2010 at the Captain of Conway-Severn Rescue Squad, an entity that offers a Juniors (ages 14-17) program in an effort to get young people interested in becoming the next generation of EMT’s.

Former Officer Steven Webb & Wife Sentenced to Prison for Child Porn Charges

Ex-Kannapolis police officer Steven Anthony Webb and his wife were sentenced this week in a child porn case after they agreed to plead guilty in December.

Steven Webb, of 1408 Nottingham Drive, Kannapolis, originally was charged with receiving child pornography, distributing child pornography, two counts of possessing material containing child pornography and one count of accessing child pornography with the intent to view.

He pleaded guilty to the accessing child pornography charge and was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison, Kannapolis police confirm. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

Tracy Webb, of the same address, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty to misprision of a felony -- failing to notify authorities about her husband’s actions.

Prosecutors agreed to not oppose a motion to dismiss her original charge -- knowingly and willfully making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement and representation to agents from the FBI.

Steven Webb, a former Kannapolis police officer, was accused of receiving and distributing child pornography over the summer. He worked for KPD from June 18, 2008 until his termination on July 31, 2013, after his arrest by the FBI on July 22.

Prosecutors had planned to use testimony from four witnesses who claimed Steven Webb abused them as minors. They also said the minors in the recording featuring Tracy Webb “implicate sexual abuse by both defendants,” according to a document filed in the case.

Kannapolis Police Chief Woody Chavis said an anonymous tip in July led KPD to Steven Webb, and the agency immediately called in the FBI.

Officer Lacy Ward Arrested for Selling Oxycodone

The Warsaw police officer arrested by the SBI, accused of conspiring to sell Oxycodone, has been fired according to the Jones County Sheriff's Office. Deputies continue to search for another drug suspect in the case.

Jones County deputies say Officer Lacy Ward, who works for the Warsaw Police Department, was arrested just before 5:00 p.m. on charges of conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule II controlled substances, that being Oxycodone. She is also arrested for interfering with an investigation.

Det. Timothy Corey says Ward was caught on video in a truck with James Parker III of Kinston while they say he was selling drugs to an undercover officer. Corey says at that point they notified the SBI and the FBI.

Ward at one time was a narcotics officer with the Warsaw Police Department, but was on regular patrol at the time of her arrest.

Deputies are still looking for the 29-year-old Parker, who was the subject of the original drug investigation.

Former Officer Heriberto Calles Accused of Destroying Evidence

Police have arrested a former Greenville officer accused of destroying evidence.

According to the Greenville Police Department, they arrested former officer Heriberto Calles, 40, of Winterville, Wednesday morning and charged him with obstruction of justice, altering, destroying or stealing evidence of criminal conduct, and willfully failing to discharge duties.

Police said when Calles was a Greenville police officer. He "destroyed photographic evidence and obstructed justice to minimize a domestic disturbance case he was responding to."

Greenville Police Sergeant Joe Friday said as far as police know Calles does not have any relationship to the two people involved in the domestic dispute case. According to Sgt. Friday the day after Calles responded to the disturbance someone came in with more evidence. He said the evidence didn't match up with Calle's report, and that fact sparked and internal affairs investigation.

“He just basically destroyed or deleted evidence of that should be included in a report,” Sgt. Friday said.

The GPD doesn't think he was covering up a crime but just cutting corners.

“That type of behavior is unacceptable and it actually is criminal in nature,” Sgt. Friday said.

According to the warrant, Calles told the two parties involved in the domestic dispute that, “this never happened and that we the police were never here... You need to settle this on your own."

Investigators said when they developed information about Calles' alleged actions, they presented the case to the State Bureau of Investigation in early March. Calles police powers were removed and he was suspended. He then resigned from the police force, according to GPD.

Calles was arrested Wednesday morning at the Pitt County Magistrate's Office and was given a $10,000 unsecured bond, police said. Calles was hired by the Greenville Police Department in January 2010.

Chief of Police Hassan Aden released the following statement:

"The arrest of Officer Calles serves as reminder that the law enforcement community in our city is not above the law and that the investigative process is intact and unbiased.

"I want our community to know that the Greenville Police Department holds itself accountable to the highest ethical standards and all laws that govern our society. This case was self-discovered and pursued by the Internal Affairs Division of the Greenville Police Department.

"I want to reaffirm that maintaining the public's trust is a top priority of my administration.  I want to thank the State Bureau of Investigation and the Pitt County District Attorney's Office for assisting us in the proactive pursuit of justice-even when the offender is a law enforcement officer."

Officer Thomas Allen Charged with Taking Pictures of Girls Underwear

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who led some of the department’s youth programs has been charged with secretly taking pictures of girls’ underwear as they participated in physical activities in a program for youth curious about law enforcement careers.

Officer Thomas E. Allen, a CMPD officer for 18 years, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four counts of secretly using a photographic imaging device to view another’s body or undergarments, and with possessing the photographs, according to police.

Allen, 42, was interviewed by detectives Wednesday and later released from Mecklenburg jail on $15,000 bond. The department has begun proceedings to fire him, CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe said.

And police say they are trying to contact more than 700 students who participated in the department’s high school academy, Explorer Posts or other youth-oriented programs that Allen was involved in over the past 12 years to see whether similar incidents occurred.

“Allen’s behavior is totally unacceptable,” said CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe during a 22-minute news conference at police headquarters. “It violates the public trust. If we think one of our officers goes against the public’s trust ... we will use whatever resources we have available.

“We’re hoping that anyone who believes (Allen) may have had inappropriate contact will come forward and we will look to investigate.”

Monroe said the four victims were all girls between the ages of 14 and 18 participating in CMPD’s high school academy at the police training center in south Charlotte. Allen, who frequently photographed events for the department’s youth programs, took the pictures with a 35-millimeter camera while the girls were exercising, then kept the images.

Investigators have combed through “thousands and thousands of photos,” Monroe said. They found no child pornography and no further questionable photos, he said.

Allen could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. It is unclear if he has hired a lawyer. According to Monroe, he is married but has no children.

Allen has worked for CMPD since March 1996 and began working as a recruiter at the Police Training Academy in 2002. His annual salary is $67,876.38, according to city records.

He was involved in several programs the department runs for youth interested in police careers, including the department’s Explorers program and the CMPD High School Academy. He also was the department’s organizer of the Explorers Christmas Project for several years.

Explorers meet at the police academy for two hours twice a month to learn about various jobs in the police department.

The High School police academy is a weeklong program that puts teens through a mock academy, covering topics such as traffic stops, building searches, and “the responsibilities of wearing the badge,” according to the CMPD website. Students are also required to participate in basic physical fitness activities during the academy.

Monroe said the department takes photos of many such activities, and it was not unusual for an officer to photograph youth activities.

The investigation began in October. Monroe released few details on what started it, but said at least one of Allen’s supervisors had suspicions. More details were unearthed during subsequent interviews.

Allen’s arrest comes on the heels of another high-profile arrest of a police officer. Last September, Officer Randall Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting of Jonathan Ferrell, an unarmed motorist who may have been looking for help after a car wreck.

In December 2010, former police officer Marcus Jackson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting six women while on duty in 2009. Investigators say he assaulted people during traffic stops.

Officer Markeith Council Charged with Beating Inmate to Death

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

 

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Corrections Officer Markeith Council Charged with Manslaughter

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Former Officer Timothy Burns Charged with Murder Dies

A former Durham police officer charged with murder in his wife's death died Friday at Rex Hospital.

Jail officials said Timothy W. Burns, died of a heart attack.

The Durham County Sheriff's Office said Burns was in custody at Central Prison when the decision was made to transport him to Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

He had been transferred from the Durham County Jail because his medical needs "were beyond [the jail's] capability to provide."

Burns was in police custody on a murder charge for stabbing his wife Maxine to death in November in their home.

Burns left the Durham Police Department in the 1990s

Officer Randall Kerrick Accused of Shooting Jonathan Ferrell

A North Carolina police officer accused of shooting and killing an unarmed man who had apparently been in an automobile wreck is scheduled to appear in court today to face a voluntary manslaughter charge.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick is charged in the case.

Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M University football player, was killed early Saturday.

Charlotte-Meckleburg police say he had sought help at a nearby house. A woman answered the door and called 911 when she didn't recognize the man.

Officers responding to the breaking and entering call found Ferrell nearby. Ferrell ran toward the officers, who tried to stop him with a Taser. Police said he continued to run toward them when officer Randall Kerrick fired his gun, hitting Ferrell several times.

Ferrell died at the scene.

Lt. Michael Hayes Charged with Solicitation of Minor

The second in command of a small Brunswick County police force paid a teen $60 for sex acts, an arrest warrant detailed Wednesday.

Michael Alan Hayes, 38, a lieutenant with the Northwest Police Department, surrendered to police Wednesday morning on charges of solicitation of a minor for sex and filing a false police report. He has since been released.

According to the warrant, Hayes contacted the girl via Craigslist.org and met with her Nov. 27.

The warrant also charges that on the same day, Hayes filed a false report with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office "concerning the sources and circumstances of the damage to the vehicle" he was operating. The warrant alleges Hayes' false report prevented a deputy from fully investigating "the cause of bullet strikes to the vehicle."

According to the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, Hayes reported he was driving his personal vehicle along River Road near Sunny Point on Nov. 27 when someone shot at his car. Hayes reported finding a dent in the body of the vehicle and a hole in his tire.

How that relates to the prostitution charge was not immediately clear.

Hayes, an eight-year veteran of the Northwest Police Department, tendered his resignation to Chief Copelan Taylor on Tuesday, Taylor said.

"I have some issues I need to attend to in my personal life," Hayes wrote in the two-sentence resignation provided to the StarNews by Taylor.

The chief said the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation contacted him Saturday to say that Hayes was being investigated. Taylor said he put Hayes on 30 days of paid leave that night.

According to Jennifer Canada, spokeswoman for the SBI, the investigation into Hayes followed a request from the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department, which recently arrested two men in connection with a prostitution investigation that began there in November 2012.

On May 4, Boiling Spring Lakes police arrested Kyle Bradley Wolfe, 20, and Shawn Christopher Conley, 20, on charges of prostitution of a minor.

Boiling Spring Lakes Police Chief Brad Shirley said at the time of the arrests the investigation involved advertisements on the Internet via different social media websites. The warrant for Hayes names the same 17-year-old girl as the warrants for Wolfe and Conley.

Hayes has a misdemeanor death by vehicle conviction on his record from May 1991 in New Hanover County.

According to an article in the Wilmington Morning Star, Hayes was 16 when the car he was driving ran into the back of a vehicle on Gordon Road. His 14-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer Allen, was killed and two others – Sharon Shivar, 15, and Kevin Francis Dwyer, 16 – were injured. The group was on the way to school at Laney High, the article states.

Hayes was convicted of the misdemeanor in August 1993.

Chief Taylor said he was unaware of the incident, but it would not have prevented Hayes from becoming a police officer.

Officer Jeffrey Taylor Arrested for Falsifying Time Sheets

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested one of its own Wednesday.

Detectives arrested Officer Jeffrey T. Taylor after he turned himself in Wednesday evening.

Taylor is charged with obtaining property by false pretense, stemming from a criminal investigation which concluded Taylor falsified time sheets while working a secondary, off-duty job at the Arboretum Shopping Center between October 2012 and January 2013.

Chief Rodney Monroe released the following statement:

"The actions of this officer do not reflect the character of the dedicated men and women that wear the badge of the CMPD with honor.

The public deserves to know that the officers sworn to protect our community are of the highest integrity. We will continue to hold our officers to the highest standards and accountable for their actions."

Taylor is now on unpaid administrative leave pending a criminal and internal investigation. He was hired by the CMPD on April 26, 1989. He was assigned to the Metro Division and worked as a school resource officer at Phillip O. Berry High School.

Officer Rudolfo Zermeno Arrested for Assaulting Girlfriend

A Winston-Salem police officer was in jail this morning after being charged with assault on a female, city police said in a news release.

Early yesterday morning, the police officer, Rudolfo Zermeno, 33, got in an argument with his girlfriend, Maria Fedelina Aguilar, police said, citing a complaint filed by the girlfriend later that day.

Zermeno slapped her face with an open hand and threw a TV remote control at her, hitting her elbow, police said.

Zermeno has been a Winston-Salem police officer for three years. He was placed on administrative leave, as is customary in this type of investigation, police said.

The department’s Criminal Investigations Division looked into the complaint and requested an arrest warrant, police said.

Zermeno was in the Forsyth County detention center on a $1000 secured bond.

In addition, Zermeno was ordered to have no contact with Aguilar.

Anyone with information about this incident may contact the Winston Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at (336) 727-2800.

Probation Officer Todd Tronzo Charged with Trafficking

A probation officer has been charged with selling opium and hydrocodone pills to an undercover Durham police officer last month, and having illegal drugs in his possession when he was arrested early Thursday.

Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.

Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.

When arrested, police wrote, Tronzo had the same quantity of opium – 4 to 13 grams – and more hydrocodone pills in a medicine bottle bearing the name of Bonnie Tronzo, a woman with whom he owns his Raleigh home.

Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/14/1998711/state-probation-officer-arrested.html#storylink=cpy

Officer Brian Cloninger Resigns

A North Carolina police officer has resigned after prosecutors say he tried to get a robbery victim to pick out a predetermined suspect from a photo lineup.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Officer Brian Cloninger gave the robbery victim the photo of the man he thought committed the gunpoint holdup, then urged the victim to study the suspect's face until she could pick him out.

Prosecutors say Cloninger said he tried to get a bad guy off the streets.

Prosecutors reviewed pending cases in which Cloninger's testimony was crucial and dismissed two other felonies and about 70 misdemeanor charges and traffic offenses. They say they couldn't trust Cloninger.

The former officer's attorney says he's sorry and paid for his mistake with his job.

Additional Charges Have Been Filed Against Officer Jaymin Murphy

Additional charges have been filed against a North Carolina police officer arrested last week and accused of a sexual assault on a girl, authorities said in a news release Tuesday.

Jaymin Lenwood Murphy, an officer in Navassa, N.C., a few miles west of Wilmington, was charged on Thursday after the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office received a report Feb. 15 from the N.C. Department of Social Services that Murphy had sexually assaulted a child between 2005 and 2007 when he lived at the juvenile's home, the news release stated.

The Brunswick County district attorney's office contacted the county Sheriff's Office on Feb. 15 and asked that investigators look into the allegation, filed with the Navassa Police Department.

The Sheriff's Office charged Murphy with first degree rape of a child on Thursday, the release stated.

On Friday, a second girl came forward with a sexual assault allegation against Murphy after learning of his arrest in a news broadcast.

Detectives learned that the second girl was the victim in a case Murphy had investigated in December 2009, while he was employed by Navassa Police Department.

After an investigation into the second girl's allegation, Murphy also was charged with one count of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sex offense, two counts of exploitation of a minor, and three counts of indecent liberties with a minor.

Murphy is currently being held at the Brunswick County Detention Facility in lieu of $1.1 million bail

Deputy Samantha Lewis Being Investigated for Going 100mph in Her Personal Vehicle

A vehicle crash that involved a Brunswick County, N.C., sheriff deputy, who was estimated at going 100 mph in her personal vehicle while off-duty, remains under investigation, according to authorities.

Samantha Lewis, a 24-year-old deputy who has been with the department since August 2007, crashed her 2010 Ford while off-duty about 12:30 a.m. Thursday along U.S. 17 Bypass in Shallotte near Smith Avenue, according to police.

Lewis was traveling south when her vehicle ran off the road, into a ditch and the vehicle overturned several times, according to the report. Lewis was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center where she is being treated for her injuries.

The posted speed limit is 60 mph in the area where the crash occurred, but according to the report.

Officers wrote in the report they did not suspect drugs or alcohol in the crash in which Lewis was traveling at an estimated speed of 100 mph.

Shallotte police continue to investigate the crash and charges are pending against Lewis, according to authorities.

Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram issued a release Tuesday that showed Lewis came upon two on-duty deputies, who had cleared a domestic disturbance call when Lewis drove up next to them and attempted to pass one deputy on the right at a high rate of speed.

Lewis lost control of her vehicle and crashed suffering life threatening injuries, Ingram said in the release. Drag racing was not an issue, according to an internal investigation by the department’s professional standards unit.

“At this time our concern is for the well being of Ms. Lewis,” Ingram said in a release. “Our prayers go out for her and her family and for her recovery.”

Officer Timothy Gerald Arrested for Domestic Violence

40-year-old Timothy Gerald has been an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department since 1993. Wednesday, his wife called officers to their home in northeast Charlotte. She told a 911 operator that Gerald attacked her. "He jumped on me, he hit me, he threw me down,” the woman is heard saying on the tapes.

Police reports show Gerald is accused of using his "bodily force, hands and knees to strike the victim in the chest, shoulder and cheek area." Neighbors tell us they never hear Gerald and his wife argue, in fact they don't hear much of anything from the home. The couple apparently keeps to themselves and doesn't speak to neighbors. Their kids often play in the front yard.

Gerald, now charged with assault on a female, a misdemeanor, was assigned to work here, at East Mecklenburg High School, as a resource officer. "My friends tell me he was a cool guy to talk to and everything,” says 17-year-old Tony Young. Young says students trust and like Gerald, "Like, you could go talk to him about certain things or whatever, like, during school and he'd help you out with certain things."

In fact, students like Gerald so much, some of them created a Facebook page dedicated to him. The "Free Officer Gerald" group includes posts like "he's such a good person." and "he's done nothing but good." “Only him and his wife know exactly what happened. A lot of us don't,” says Young.

Gerald turned himself in at police headquarters were he was taken into custody. In addition to the criminal investigation, the internal affairs department is also investigating this case. In the meantime, Gerald is on paid administrative leave.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district says it has no comment on the case. The police department is in charge of placing officers in schools, not the school district.

Former Sgt. Walter McWilson Pleads Guilty to Receiving Stolen Property

A once-lauded Oceanside police sergeant will do jail time after pleading guilty Wednesday to three counts of receiving stolen property.

Before striking a plea bargain with prosecutors, Walter McWilson, 37, a 10-year Oceanside police veteran, had been facing 14 felony charges, including grand theft and conspiracy for allegedly asking his office manager girlfriend to use her construction company's credit cards to buy gift cards, electronics and home improvement materials.

Prosecutor Anna Winn, who handled the case, said police officers are "heroes" and "protectors," so McWilson's fall was painful to many.

"Anytime a police officer commits a crime, it betrays all police officers and it betrays the public trust," Winn said.

McWilson is scheduled to be sentenced June 15 to 365 days in county jail, Winn said. But if he repays Oceanside-based Royal Pacific Construction $22,000 by that date, he will get a sentence of between 180 and 270 days.

Under state guidelines, McWilson will probably be required to serve half of any sentence he receives.

McWilson has three children and lives in Murrieta with a son and his elderly mother.

His now ex-girlfriend Aimee Rich, 34, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and is expected to be sentenced April 22 to between 120 and 365 days in jail, Winn said.

Before he was placed on leave in August, McWilson gained the praise of department leaders as the supervisor of the Neighborhood Policing Team and for his work on the Crisis Negotiations Team and the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team.

With an earnest but friendly demeanor and what department leaders said was a sincere concern for the community, one Oceanside police captain called McWilson a "rising star."

Detectives from his own department discovered McWilson's crimes by accident as they investigated Rich, police said.

She refused to tell investigators whether her embezzlement had benefited any friends, but a receipt for a mattress seized from her Murrieta apartment had McWilson's name on it, police said.

Oceanside police Chief Frank McCoy on Wednesday said McWilson's arrest and guilty plea showed the department's commitment to justice.

"A clear message was sent that regardless of if someone is a police officer or whatever their profession is, our department will conduct a thorough and fair investigation," McCoy said.

Oceanside's probe showed that Rich had used company checks and lines of credit to embezzle about $160,000 between 2004 and 2008, court records show.

Winn said McWilson admitted that Rich used her company's credit to buy him about $22,000 worth of goods, including four TVs, one of which he sold to a neighbor, an Apple notebook computer, a high-end mattress, Thomasville mahogany flooring and $4,000 in Home Depot gift cards.

As a convicted felon, McWilson will never be able to work in law enforcement again, Winn said.

But it is not McWilson's first time on the wrong side of the law. In 1993 he was convicted of evading a police officer, Winn said, but had the charge expunged after establishing a record of good behavior.

Officer Stephen Commander Jr Charged with Breaking Into Home

Police Chief Jose Lopez Sr. said he is "disappointed" by the arrest of a Durham police officer on break-in charges, the third in a series of embarrassments for the Durham Police Department.

Wake County sheriff's deputies charged Stephen Patrick Commander Jr., 31, of Oxford, with breaking into a Wake County home and telling the people there that a person he was seeking would be dead by the end of the day if they did not reveal his whereabouts.

Commander has been charged with one felony count each of breaking and entering, and extortion, according to an arrest warrant filed at the Wake County Clerk of Courts Office.

Investigators have accused Commander of breaking into a residence at 16113 New Light Road in Wake Forest on Jan. 27. Two people, Kimberly Ann Morgan and Harvey Curtis, were inside the home. They told Wake investigators that Commander announced he was looking for Nazareth Hurst and that they "better tell me where Nazareth is or he will be dead by the end of the day," according to the arrest warrant.

Commander turned himself in to Wake deputies without incident on Jan. 29, according to Phyllis Stephens, a Wake County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. He was released from custody after posting $3,000 bail and ordered to have no contact with the people who were in the home, court records show.

Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said Commander was not on duty, nor was his search for Hurst part of any police investigation.

Commander made his first court appearance Tuesday in Wake County District Court. His case was continued until Feb. 23.

"We have no comment at this time," Logan Howell, Commander's attorney, said Wednesday.

Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez issued a statement Wednesday saying he was "deeply disappointed" by the recent arrests of Commander and a former Durham officer, Sherrod Peace. The are 496 officers total with the Durham Police Department.

Peace, a 35-year-old former UNC football player, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on weapons and drug violations after he was charged Dec. 21 with distributing less than 5 grams of crack cocaine and possessing a .45-caliber handgun.

Michael said Commander joined the Durham department in January 2007. He works as a patrol officer and earns an annual salary of $38,850. He is still employed with the department pending an investigation by the department's professional standards and criminal investigation divisions, which is standard policy when an officer has been criminally charged. Michael declined to say whether Commander was actively on patrol.

Commander, reached by phone Wednesday, said he wanted to talk about the incident but had been advised not to comment.

"I wish I could, but I can't," he said.

Both arrests follow a high-profile overtime scandal that cost Deputy Police Chief B.J. Council her job when an officer she supervised claimed $62,000 in extra pay.

Alesha Robinson-Taylor, 39, oversaw the system that assigned officers off-duty work. She claimed 1,837 hours of overtime from September 2008 to August 31, making $62,000 in extra pay. Her salary was $52,665.90.

Robinson-Taylor was fired in October after an anonymous e-mail tipped off city officials to the overtime excess. An audit and investigation found Council not only knew about the overtime as early as last fall, but then assumed responsibility for approving Robinson-Taylor's extra hours. Council took personal leave until she retired on Dec. 31.

City officials have said they're looking to recover about $45,000 that was paid to Robinson-Taylor, who joined the department in 1997.

The investigation is now in the hands of the State Bureau of Investigation.

Former Officer Sherrod Peace Charged with Distributing Cocaine

A former Durham police officer has been indicted on federal drug-related charges after an investigation by the Durham Police Department and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sherrod Peace, 35, was indicted Wednesday on charges of distributing fewer than 5grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He was not in custody Thursday.

Durham Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. received a complaint in early October that Peace was involved in illegal activities, and started criminal and internal investigations, a news release says. The criminal investigation was conducted by Durham police investigators with assistance from the DEA Task Force.

Peace joined the Durham Police Department in 2003 and was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Bureau. He resigned Dec. 31, 2009.