Former Officer Edmond Burke Accused of Selling Cocaine

The former Prichard police officer accused of selling cocaine and using his badge as a shield job has been indicted by a grand jury on drug charges.

Edmond Kennies Burke, 34, was arrested late Wednesday after being indicted on charges of trafficking and possessing cocaine, as well as possession of marijuana, stemming from an Aug. 2 sting operation.

According to an affidavit filed last year by a Homeland Security Investigations agent, Burke obtained 5 kilograms of cocaine and had marijuana and drug paraphernalia during a subsequent search of his house. It was alleged he made regular drug runs, carrying cocaine in his squad car.

He and another man, Raymond “Roc” Williams, were planning on selling the cocaine, obtained from a drug dealer cooperating with authorities.

The dealer told Williams he would receive $15,000 once the cocaine had been delivered, according to previous reports. Williams and Burke had done similar deals in the past, they said.

Court records alleged the pair had previously received $3,000 per kilogram and would only deliver larger amounts because they needed to split the payment.

The sting operation was a joint effort by federal agents and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Last year, Burke was subsequently charged in federal court, but was not indicted.

Burke will be arraigned before Mobile County Presiding Judge Charles Graddick on May 20. His bail was set at $20,000 on the trafficking charge, $7,500 for possession of cocaine and $500 for possession of marijuana.

Former Officer Mitchel Wright Arrested for Selling Meth

Authorities say a former Washington police officer who spent time working for the DEA was arrested for the second time in less than a year last month after his life took a dark turn and he planned to become a drug kingpin.

Mitchel J. Wright, who joined the King County Sheriff's Department in 2002, was fired last year after being accused of stealing drug evidence while working undercover for the DEA. He was arrested on Feb. 11 after selling drugs to undercover officers on separate occasions. He reportedly bragged that he'd never be caught because knew every police tactic. His hubris was his downfall.

Wright, 33, resigned last July after a cop discovered a woman injecting herself with heroin inside of a vehicle registered to Wright. She told police that she lived with Wright and worked for him as an informant, and a subsequent search of the vehicle produced drugs and drug paraphernalia.

An internal investigation revealed that Wright was giving strippers heroin and methamphetamine to persuade them to work as drug dealers for him. His ultimate goal was to dominate the area drug trade using his authority, knowledge of the underworld and access to evidence.

After being placed on administrative leave, Wright resigned. Later that month, King County deputies discovered three baggies bearing DEA case numbers inside of his old police car. Each tested positive for heroin. It's estimated that Wright seized between $36,450 and $52,490 worth of drugs during his stint with the DEA and never turned them in as evidence.

For his most recent arrest, Wright was charged with distribution of over five grams of meth and conspiracy to distribute meth. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Corrections Officer Jessie Tyree Arrested on Drug Charges

A federal corrections officer and a woman were arrested at an apartment complex by Ocala police and drug agents Friday and were charged with possession of illegal narcotics.

Ocala Police Department officers Brandon Sirolli and J.P. Hall were patrolling at Spring Manor Apartments at 2833 NE Seventh St., Ocala, when they smelled burnt marijuana coming from an open window.

The officers saw Jessie Tyree and a woman walking from a hallway and smelled a strong odor of marijuana on them. The two said they had just left the apartment from which the officers had smelled burnt marijuana, reports state.

The woman told the officers she had smoked marijuana in the apartment. Other officers arrived and Tyree and the woman were searched. The woman did not have anything illegal in her possession but Tyree had MDMA, commonly called Ecstasy, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to the report.

Tyree, 28, is a corrections officer at Marion Correctional Institution. He told the officers he has been using drugs for “just a little while,” the report notes.

Charlotte James, the tenant in the apartment, came outside and asked officers what was going on. She said she had smoked marijuana before Tyree and the woman arrived, but that there was not any more inside. The officers asked to search the residence and she told them no, the report states.

The officers contacted the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team, which obtained a search warrant. Inside James’ apartment agents found a small amount of marijuana.
James, 26, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana less than 20 grams.

Tyree was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine, MDMA and drug paraphernalia.

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

Correctional Officer Sidney Nunn Charged with Smuggling Drugs into Jail

A 25-year-old correctional officer was arrested on drug charges following an investigation into drug smuggling at Vaughn Correctional Center, police reported today.

Dover police spokesman Lt. Tim Stump said Sidney Nunn, of Smyrna, was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle, conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and promoting prison contraband.

Nunn was released after posting $8,000 bail.

Internal Affairs at the prison contacted the Dover police drug unit with information about Nunn, Stump said.

About 2 p.m. Saturday officers arrested Nunn in the parking lot of the Dover Mall and confiscated 26.7 grams of marijuana from him that police said he had intended to smuggle into the prison.

State Department of Correction spokesman John Painter said Nunn was hired in April 2004 and worked as a correctional officer at Vaughn Correctional Center.

“Following normal procedure, he had been placed on leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation,” Painter said.

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http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6795208

Trooper Steven Spoonire Charged with Possession of Marijuana

A 16-year veteran of the Maryland State Police is due in Frederick County Circuit Court on Friday for a pre-trial conference for his July arrest on drug charges.

Steven W. Spoonire, 36, is facing one year in jail and/or a $1,500 fine for possessing marijuana and paraphernalia when he goes on trial on Jan. 26.

Three Maryland State troopers arrived at Spoonire's house on Woodsboro Pike on July 9 to investigate a tip about marijuana growing there.

When they arrived, they immediately saw the marijuana plant growing by the back steps of the house, along with Spoonire's cruiser parked in the driveway. The troopers knew Spoonire lived at the house, according to court documents.

Spoonire climbed out of a second car parked in the driveway, and the troopers told him why they were there.

According to court documents, Spoonire responded by telling them that he did not own the house and that he was renting it.

The troopers told Spoonire they were going to obtain a search warrant. At Spoonire's request, they allowed his wife to leave, according to court documents. Inside the house were Spoonire's sister-in-law and two young children; they were also allowed to leave.

The troopers searched the house, and found in the master bedroom two smoking devices with suspected marijuana residue, rolling papers and a prescription bottle with suspected marijuana residue. They also found a small clay pot with suspected marijuana seeds and potting soil in the bedroom window and the marijuana plant outside. The troopers found a drug test kit in a second-floor bathroom.

They arrested Spoonire, who was released on a $10,000 bond. Spoonire told police he had lived at the house for about a year, and made $61,000 per year working as a patrol officer in Westminster. He has since changed his address to one in Union Bridge.

Elena Russo, a State Police spokeswoman, said Spoonire has been suspended with pay.

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$10,000 for some fucking weed!!! Come'on people!!! Wake UP!!! Legalize this shit!!! It's safer than drinking, and apparently this officer was able to do his job for 16 years without a problem!!!

Trooper Steven Spoonire and Wife Request Jury Trials on Marijuana Charges

A Maryland State Police trooper and his wife have requested jury trials on marijuana charges.

Suspended Trooper Steven Spoonire and Jennifer Lynn Frazier were arrested in August by police who said they found a foot-tall marijuana plant growing outside the back door of the couple's Woodsboro home.

Investigators said they also found pipes and rolling papers inside the residence.

The 36-year-old trooper and his 27-year-old wife both face misdemeanor charges of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Former Officer Ronald Whitworth Jr Arrested for Sexual Abuse of Child

COLUMBIANA, Ala.

A former Anniston police officer is in jail in Shelby County without bond on charges including rape, sexual abuse and child endangerment.

Sheriff's Capt. Eric Burchfield said Ronald Loyd Whitworth Jr. was arrested May 4, following reports of sexual abuse, and also charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Anniston Police Chief John Dryden said Whitworth worked for the police several years ago, before leaving for a job near Birmingham.

Whitworth failed to appear in court on Aug. 19 and was later arrested in Washington.