Sacramento deputy sheriff faces drug charges www.privateofficer.com

 

Sacramento CA May 11 2012 Sacramento County sheriff’s authorities arrested one of their own this morning on suspicion of drug-related charges, department officials said today.

Kelly Smith, a 43-year-old deputy assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, and unlawful use of personal identifying information of another, according to spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

All three charges are felonies, Ramos said. Smith posted $30,000 bail and was released.

The investigation into Smith’s alleged criminal conduct began March 31, Ramos said. Smith was placed on administrative leave, and further investigation by the department’s internal affairs detectives led to the charges that prompted Smith’s arrest today, Ramos said.

Smith remains on administrative leave.

Detectives allege that Smith fraudulently refilled prescriptions for Vicadin that were intended for a 90-year-old man whom she had befriended, according to a request written by a sheriff’s detective for an arrest warrant. The man’s family alerted authorities after they realized that someone unknown to them had called in and picked up refill orders without their approval.

When confronted by detectives, Smith claimed she was “stockpiling” pills for her father, who was dying of cancer, the warrant request said. She also claimed that she did not have any “problems” with pain medications.

Ramos said he could not release more information about the investigation or elaborate on the charges. He also said he could not comment about whether any of Smith’s alleged criminal conduct occurred while she was on duty.

Sheriff Scott Jones issued the following statement: “Maintaining the public trust is paramount to the Sheriff’s Department. Any alleged violation of that trust is something that the Sheriff’s Department will aggressively investigate and take appropriate action.”

The Sheriff’s Department provides policing services to the city of Rancho Cordova by contract.

Source:sacbee.com