Feds launch probe of Luzerne County sheriff (cocaine found in cruiser)

Citizens Voice (Wilkes Barre PA) ^ | 6/30/09 | Michael R. Sisak and Michael P. Buffer

[Born Conservative]

Federal agents have launched an investigation into the Luzerne County Sheriff's Department following a dispute over the handling of an internal probe into the discovery of drugs in a department vehicle, county officials said Monday.

A sheriff's deputy tipped officials off to the drug discovery while complaining about the department's failure to file a formal report with the district attorney's office or police, Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla said.

"(The) deputy came to the administration and said that this was discovered and not reported," Petrilla said. County officials confronted Sheriff Michael A. Savokinas, who claimed he had made a report to the district attorney's office, Petrilla said.

Not true, District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said.

"He did not contact our office," Musto Carroll said. "There was no report made to me."

Petrilla, Musto Carroll and County Solicitor Vito DeLuca said they were told seven bags of heroin were found in a sheriff's vehicle, several months ago.

Savokinas said there have been two separate incidents where drugs were found in sheriff's department vehicles.

Savokinas said he discovered "a small packet" of what appeared to be cocaine on the floor on the front driver's side of his unmarked, Ford Crown Victoria, sometime in April. In the other case, packets of heroin and hypodermic needles were found in a prisoner transport vehicle, he said.

Savokinas said he and two deputies found the packet of cocaine after stopping for coffee at a convenience store. They had been transporting prisoners to and from Central Magisterial Court in Wilkes-Barre, he said.

"Could someone have put it there? Yeah. Could it have been stuck to somebody's shoe? Yeah," Savokinas said.

Savokinas said he instructed the two deputies, Courtney Staley and Jennifer Roberts, to conduct an "internal investigation." They photographed the packet and conducted a field test that returned positive for "traces of cocaine," Savokinas said.

"I just wanted something to protect me," Savokinas said. "This was found, I don't like how it looks. It's not uncommon to find drugs in a police vehicle."

Savokinas said he told Chief County Detective Mike Dessoye about the drug discovery and also talked with Nick Lohman, the chief of the police department in Duryea, where the car had been parked for several days before the drugs were found.

"I talked with the DA's office, I asked them what to do and they said, 'do a report, keep it on file,'" Savokinas said. "We found it, I reported it to them and, obviously, if I was doing something wrong, why would I report it?"

Musto Carroll said Savokinas spoke with Dessoye briefly while the detective was on a break, smoking a cigarette outside the Luzerne County Courthouse.

"Sheriff Savokinas mentioned to Mike Dessoye in passing that there were drugs found in his car in Duryea," Musto Carroll said. "Mike told him, 'you have to get a police report, immediately.' Our office was never asked to investigate and there was no official report made to us until today."

Savokinas never turned over a written report or any evidence to the district attorney's office, Musto Carroll said.

Savokinas said he kept the report and the drug evidence on file in the sheriff's office.

"We left it at that," Savokinas said. "There's not much you can do unless we had a suspect who said, 'yea, I planted it there.'"

DeLuca said he "did a certain degree of investigation to determine whether there was any truth" to the allegation, "to establish the veracity of the complaint," before bringing it to Musto Carroll's attention.

Musto Carroll, citing a potential conflict of interest with investigating another county law enforcement agency, referred the case to the FBI.

"I'm not saying anything illegal was or was not done," DeLuca said, explaining his investigatory process. "I determined there was something that should be forwarded to law enforcement."

In the past six months, DeLuca said, he has pursued allegations from "a number" of employees in various county departments and is "directed to investigate any allegations of any improprieties that are reported."

"The seriousness of the allegation and the possible consequences to Luzerne County as a government, if those allegations were determined to be true, those are things that factor into whether I make a recommendation that it be sent out to law enforcement," DeLuca said.

"With the administration we have now, we're very, very sensitive to anything in the county that brings Luzerne County to further disrepute," DeLuca said.

Dave Janoski, projects editor, contributed to this report.

[angcat]

President Obama and Sheriff Savokinas Sheriff Savokinas welcomes President Obama to Luzerne County

[rednesss]

Pfffft, it’s not like the cops have to follow the law or anything. Move along, nothing to see here.

[Born Conservative]

Great pic. You have to listen to Corbett now on 103.1 FM; he is hammering the Sheriff’s office.

[Born Conservative]

Also available to listen online: http://www.wilknetwork.com/index.php

[b4its2late]

I’m sure it wasn’t done intentionally.

[Born Conservative]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no...

[Born Conservative]

The Sheriff is supposed to call in to Corbett’s show now (link above)

[Larry381]

It's not unusual for arrested drug addicts to dispose of their drugs when they're being transported.
Reminds me of a true story that happened in an old, dilapidated precinct in Queens New York during the 60’s.
Arrested prisoners were kept in a holding cell before going to Central Booking. The holding cell had a large crack in the wall where many improperly searched prisoners would naturally take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of any hidden drugs or needles they possessed. Turns out that as soon as the contraband was disposed of in the wall it fell downstairs into a basket right behind the booking Sergeant's desk. The detectives in the precinct used to joke that every month there was more heroin collected in the "collection basket" than was seized on the streets

[hal2010]

I know one of the deputies involved and that deputy is a drug user. Just fyi.

[Born Conservative]

Welcome to Free Republic.

Thanks for posting; I’m not surprised (after all, we know of the prison guard who was dealing it)