Post by Critique on Dec 30, 2006 2:50:54 GMT -5
12/22/06
By MICHAEL A. WEBER
Stole cocaine that nephew sold for $60,000, court records say
Metro police officer Ernest Cecil, a 15-year veteran, was arrested Thursday on federal charges of trafficking in cocaine and faking a drug bust to steal 3 kilos of cocaine at gunpoint.
Cecil had been on desk duty since Dec. 9, 2004, for wearing his firearm while drinking off-duty at a former Second Avenue bar, Hurricanes. He was cleared of criminal charges in the case, but an administrative investigation of the incident is ongoing.
After the unsealing of the four-count indictment, Cecil was taken into custody at the Hermitage police precinct about 1 p.m. Thursday.
"The allegations in this case are both serious and sad," interim U. S. Attorney Craig Morford said. "He (Cecil) took his badge and took his gun, and he assisted the very people he was sworn to go out to investigate and arrest."
According to federal court documents, Cecil stole more than 6½ pounds of cocaine on April 30, 2003, by making the robbery look like a drug bust. However, his nephew, Corey Cecil, took the drugs and sold them for $60,000. Corey turned around gave some of the money back to his uncle.
Information alleging Ernest Cecil's connection to the drugs came to light in 2004, when someone in-volved in the drug trade complained to other police officers.
"This is how the law is supposed to work," Metro police Chief Ronal Serpas said after a news conference at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville. "Some of our officers heard something on the street, and we followed through on the investigation.
"Our detectives take every allegation seriously. We do not filter them."
In a brief interview with The Tennessean in July 2005, Ernest Cecil denied that he did anything wrong and said, "I am being railroaded." Calls to Rich McGee, the attorney who represented Cecil in 2005, were not returned.
The charges state that Ernest Cecil's partner in the cocaine robbery was detective Charles Williams, who was arrested in July 2005 on charges of some of the same offenses and is awaiting trial in January.
In court documents filed in his case, Williams' lawyers said he was duped into helping Ernest Cecil steal the drugs and believed at the time that he was conducting a legitimate drug bust. But federal prosecutors said in court papers that Williams failed a police polygraph test about the matter.
The investigation also led to the arrest of Cecil's nephew, Corey Cecil, in October 2005. He pleaded guilty in April 2006 and is awaiting sentencing. Corey Cecil's plea agreement has been sealed.
The federal indictment also alleges that Ernest Cecil aided his nephew's criminal behavior in other ways.
Accused of fixing tickets
In one instance, Ernest Cecil learned that his nephew's name had surfaced in an investigation and advised Corey Cecil to "change all his phone numbers." In another instance, Ernest Cecil used his badge and made threats to help Corey Cecil retrieve a lost cell phone with "narcotics distribution contacts."
The officer is also accused of fixing traffic and parking citations for his nephew.
Ernest Cecil was a specialized investigation detective from 1997 until December 2004.
"He was a narcotics officer," Serpas said. "How reprehensible is that?"
The only infractions on Ernest Cecil's personnel record are three accidents, for which he was docked four vacation days.
The investigation was a joint effort of the Metro Police Department, U.S. Drug En-forcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney's office.
The U.S. attorney said this was the extent of the arrests expected at this time.
tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/NEWS03/612220420/1017/NEWS
By MICHAEL A. WEBER
Stole cocaine that nephew sold for $60,000, court records say
Metro police officer Ernest Cecil, a 15-year veteran, was arrested Thursday on federal charges of trafficking in cocaine and faking a drug bust to steal 3 kilos of cocaine at gunpoint.
Cecil had been on desk duty since Dec. 9, 2004, for wearing his firearm while drinking off-duty at a former Second Avenue bar, Hurricanes. He was cleared of criminal charges in the case, but an administrative investigation of the incident is ongoing.
After the unsealing of the four-count indictment, Cecil was taken into custody at the Hermitage police precinct about 1 p.m. Thursday.
"The allegations in this case are both serious and sad," interim U. S. Attorney Craig Morford said. "He (Cecil) took his badge and took his gun, and he assisted the very people he was sworn to go out to investigate and arrest."
According to federal court documents, Cecil stole more than 6½ pounds of cocaine on April 30, 2003, by making the robbery look like a drug bust. However, his nephew, Corey Cecil, took the drugs and sold them for $60,000. Corey turned around gave some of the money back to his uncle.
Information alleging Ernest Cecil's connection to the drugs came to light in 2004, when someone in-volved in the drug trade complained to other police officers.
"This is how the law is supposed to work," Metro police Chief Ronal Serpas said after a news conference at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville. "Some of our officers heard something on the street, and we followed through on the investigation.
"Our detectives take every allegation seriously. We do not filter them."
In a brief interview with The Tennessean in July 2005, Ernest Cecil denied that he did anything wrong and said, "I am being railroaded." Calls to Rich McGee, the attorney who represented Cecil in 2005, were not returned.
The charges state that Ernest Cecil's partner in the cocaine robbery was detective Charles Williams, who was arrested in July 2005 on charges of some of the same offenses and is awaiting trial in January.
In court documents filed in his case, Williams' lawyers said he was duped into helping Ernest Cecil steal the drugs and believed at the time that he was conducting a legitimate drug bust. But federal prosecutors said in court papers that Williams failed a police polygraph test about the matter.
The investigation also led to the arrest of Cecil's nephew, Corey Cecil, in October 2005. He pleaded guilty in April 2006 and is awaiting sentencing. Corey Cecil's plea agreement has been sealed.
The federal indictment also alleges that Ernest Cecil aided his nephew's criminal behavior in other ways.
Accused of fixing tickets
In one instance, Ernest Cecil learned that his nephew's name had surfaced in an investigation and advised Corey Cecil to "change all his phone numbers." In another instance, Ernest Cecil used his badge and made threats to help Corey Cecil retrieve a lost cell phone with "narcotics distribution contacts."
The officer is also accused of fixing traffic and parking citations for his nephew.
Ernest Cecil was a specialized investigation detective from 1997 until December 2004.
"He was a narcotics officer," Serpas said. "How reprehensible is that?"
The only infractions on Ernest Cecil's personnel record are three accidents, for which he was docked four vacation days.
The investigation was a joint effort of the Metro Police Department, U.S. Drug En-forcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney's office.
The U.S. attorney said this was the extent of the arrests expected at this time.
tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/NEWS03/612220420/1017/NEWS