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Officer interviews in steroid case didn't top half-hour
By Sandy Hodson
Staff Writer
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015
All of the recorded interviews by the Georgia Bureau of In**vestigation of Richmond Coun*ty Sheriff’s Office personnel accused of using steroids lasted 30 minutes or less in an investigation in which the district attorney determined she didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute anyone.
The longest GBI interview of the 15 officers accused who were still with the department when the investigation began was with Depu*ty Phillip Hambrick. It lasted 30 minutes. The shortest, with Deputy David Sward, lasted just more than two minutes.
INTERVIEW AUDIO: Law Enforcement Officers
https://soundcloud.com/augustachronicle-1/sets/augusta-chronicle-steroids
Interviews with nine former officers Brandon Paquette named as people to whom he provided steroids were conducted by phone and not recorded. This included the interview of former narcotics officer Michael Dodaro, who once shared an apartment with Paquette and introduced him to several of the suspected officers.
INTERVIEW AUDIO: Brandon Paquette
https://soundcloud.com/user-975147849/sets/augusta-chronicle-steroids-investigation-paquette
There was no indication in the investigative report that the GBI attempted to interview anyone at gyms where Paquette and several officers worked out, or a friend Paquette said witnessed one exchange of steroids with an officer.
Paquette said several officers were in uniform and driving police vehicles when they came to his home to buy steroids. Though Sgt. Jason Vinson and Lt. David Bourbo asked Paquette about a news report with his neighbors who had seen officers at Pa*quette’s home, none were interviewed by the GBI, according to the report.
Paquette said – and the log of phone and text communications the GBI obtained though a search warrant proves – that three officers exchanged texts or phone calls with him the day after he was busted. Paquette called Col. Robert Partain – who was in charge of narcotics until Sheriff Richard Round*tree promoted him – because Partain was a friend of his family for years and he wanted information on what might happen next, Paquette and Partain said.
District Attorney Ashley Wright, who decided not to prosecute Monday, said that while it is valid to ask why more was not done in the investigation, the practicality of certain measures would have to be considered.
At a news conference Monday, Roundtree cited the GBI investigation as reason to believe no officers are using illegal steroids. Two officers, Hambrick and Joel Danko, admitted to purchasing steroids, but only Hambrick admitted to buying illegal steroids while employed as a sheriff’s officer.
Half of the officers Pa*quette named worked narcotics. Paquette and his brother Ryan were frequent visitors at the narcotics office, according to some of the officers. Ryan Paquette, according to his brother Bran**don and at least one of the officers, even went out on narcotics investigations. But no narcotics officer interviewed voiced any suspicion that Brandon Pa*quette was selling steroids, an illegal class III drug.
The results of the investigation didn’t surprise Stan Crowder, a criminal justice professor at Kennesaw State Uni*ver*sity and a retired military and Cobb County law enforcement officer. He pointed to a similar investigation of law enforcement officers and firefighters in Cobb County that turned up no evidence of steroid use even though a firefighter testified under oath that 95 percent
were using, Crowder said.
Crowder said that steroid use is rampant in law enforcement agencies and that generally either the leadership doesn’t know or steroid use is tolerated.
Criminal justice consultant and expert witness Gregory D. Lee, a former supervisory agent with the Drug En*forcement Admin*is*tration, said there is only so much that can be done to prove such allegations. Even though Paquette passed a polygraph, that isn’t evidence criminal conduct by the officers was committed. That suspected officers passed drug tests is telling because steroids can remain in the system for months, Lee said.
The officers still with the department voluntarily agreed to take drug tests specific for steroids. One officer, Mark Ches*tang, later changed his mind and did not take the test. Two other officers had legal prescriptions that meant the test would be meaningless.
Roundtree, who had previously stated that he would not require his officers to take drug tests specific for steroids, said Monday that he would agree to it if all county employees were subjected to the same testing.
Crowder said with such tests costing more than $100 a piece, it is unlikely any local government would agree. But if law enforcement leadership doesn’t step up, it’s a lose-lose situation: Not only could a steroid-using officer stay on the force, but innocent officers remain tainted, too, he said.
By Sandy Hodson
Staff Writer
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015
All of the recorded interviews by the Georgia Bureau of In**vestigation of Richmond Coun*ty Sheriff’s Office personnel accused of using steroids lasted 30 minutes or less in an investigation in which the district attorney determined she didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute anyone.
The longest GBI interview of the 15 officers accused who were still with the department when the investigation began was with Depu*ty Phillip Hambrick. It lasted 30 minutes. The shortest, with Deputy David Sward, lasted just more than two minutes.
INTERVIEW AUDIO: Law Enforcement Officers
https://soundcloud.com/augustachronicle-1/sets/augusta-chronicle-steroids
Interviews with nine former officers Brandon Paquette named as people to whom he provided steroids were conducted by phone and not recorded. This included the interview of former narcotics officer Michael Dodaro, who once shared an apartment with Paquette and introduced him to several of the suspected officers.
INTERVIEW AUDIO: Brandon Paquette
https://soundcloud.com/user-975147849/sets/augusta-chronicle-steroids-investigation-paquette
There was no indication in the investigative report that the GBI attempted to interview anyone at gyms where Paquette and several officers worked out, or a friend Paquette said witnessed one exchange of steroids with an officer.
Paquette said several officers were in uniform and driving police vehicles when they came to his home to buy steroids. Though Sgt. Jason Vinson and Lt. David Bourbo asked Paquette about a news report with his neighbors who had seen officers at Pa*quette’s home, none were interviewed by the GBI, according to the report.
Paquette said – and the log of phone and text communications the GBI obtained though a search warrant proves – that three officers exchanged texts or phone calls with him the day after he was busted. Paquette called Col. Robert Partain – who was in charge of narcotics until Sheriff Richard Round*tree promoted him – because Partain was a friend of his family for years and he wanted information on what might happen next, Paquette and Partain said.
District Attorney Ashley Wright, who decided not to prosecute Monday, said that while it is valid to ask why more was not done in the investigation, the practicality of certain measures would have to be considered.
At a news conference Monday, Roundtree cited the GBI investigation as reason to believe no officers are using illegal steroids. Two officers, Hambrick and Joel Danko, admitted to purchasing steroids, but only Hambrick admitted to buying illegal steroids while employed as a sheriff’s officer.
Half of the officers Pa*quette named worked narcotics. Paquette and his brother Ryan were frequent visitors at the narcotics office, according to some of the officers. Ryan Paquette, according to his brother Bran**don and at least one of the officers, even went out on narcotics investigations. But no narcotics officer interviewed voiced any suspicion that Brandon Pa*quette was selling steroids, an illegal class III drug.
The results of the investigation didn’t surprise Stan Crowder, a criminal justice professor at Kennesaw State Uni*ver*sity and a retired military and Cobb County law enforcement officer. He pointed to a similar investigation of law enforcement officers and firefighters in Cobb County that turned up no evidence of steroid use even though a firefighter testified under oath that 95 percent
were using, Crowder said.
Crowder said that steroid use is rampant in law enforcement agencies and that generally either the leadership doesn’t know or steroid use is tolerated.
Criminal justice consultant and expert witness Gregory D. Lee, a former supervisory agent with the Drug En*forcement Admin*is*tration, said there is only so much that can be done to prove such allegations. Even though Paquette passed a polygraph, that isn’t evidence criminal conduct by the officers was committed. That suspected officers passed drug tests is telling because steroids can remain in the system for months, Lee said.
The officers still with the department voluntarily agreed to take drug tests specific for steroids. One officer, Mark Ches*tang, later changed his mind and did not take the test. Two other officers had legal prescriptions that meant the test would be meaningless.
Roundtree, who had previously stated that he would not require his officers to take drug tests specific for steroids, said Monday that he would agree to it if all county employees were subjected to the same testing.
Crowder said with such tests costing more than $100 a piece, it is unlikely any local government would agree. But if law enforcement leadership doesn’t step up, it’s a lose-lose situation: Not only could a steroid-using officer stay on the force, but innocent officers remain tainted, too, he said.