This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by Phillip Smith
StoptheDrugWar.org
Feb. 13, 2014

A felonious foursome of public servants made the hall of shame this week. Let's get to it:

In Savannah, Georgia, a Savannah-Chatham police sergeant was arrested Sunday for lying to the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team during a 2010 investigation into corruption around drug trafficking. Sgt. Malik Abdul Khaalis had already been indicted for false statements in January, but has now been hit with two felony counts of violation of oath by a public officer and seven felony counts of false statements and writings.

In Buffalo, New York, a former Buffalo police officer pleaded guilty last Thursday to selling marijuana. James Hamilton Sr., 29, sold a half pound of marijuana to a snitch working for federal investigators. After the arrest, authorities seized 80 marijuana plants and more than three pounds of marijuana from his Buffalo home.He faces up to five years in prison when he's sentenced June 18.

In Baltimore, a former Baltimore police officer was sentenced last Thursday to five years in federal prison for agreeing to run a tax scam with someone she thought was a heroin dealer. Ashley Roane, 26, agreed to steal personal information from police databases so a tax preparer could file false returns. The tax preparer was an FBI snitch who also proposed a drug deal to Roane, who agreed to check whether a source for heroin was an informant and to provide protection when the deal went down. She made $6,000 for her efforts. She pleaded guilty to extortion and identity theft.

In Norfolk, Virginia, a former Virginia Beach probation officer was sentenced last Friday to 6 ½ years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine with her husband. Katherine Kephart, 31, admitted trafficking meth between Virginia and North Carolina, as well as using her position to check names and license plate numbers of prospective partners to see if they were under court supervision or working as informants. She copped to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute more than five grams of the drugs. So did her husband, who got the same sentence.