Former Kern County Deputies plead guilty to stealing and trafficking marijuana.
On Monday, two former Kern County deputies pled guilty to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Eastern District of California, “Logan August, 30, of Bakersfield, and Derrick Penney, 34, of Star, Idaho,” admitted to being part of the problem – not the solution:
“Between June 2014 and October 2014, while sworn peace officers working with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), August and Penney abused their positions of trust and authority by conspiring with former Bakersfield Police Department detective Patrick Mara and an individual who previously worked as a confidential informant for August, and others, to steal marijuana from a KCSO storage unit and sell it for unlawful personal gain. The marijuana had previously been seized during investigations into marijuana grown on public and private lands. Once August and Penney obtained the marijuana from the storage unit, they had it processed (trimmed) into approximately eight pounds of usable marijuana. August then delivered it to his former confidential informant, who sold it and provided August with part of the proceeds from those sales. August then shared the proceeds with Penney and Mara. August and Penney received approximately $1,200 each from the sale of this marijuana.”
August’s plea agreement indicated this was not an isolated incident. During that same year, the former Kern County deputy lifted an additional 25 pounds of marijuana that was then sold by the same confidential informant.
“Between March 2014 and December 2014, while a sworn peace officer assigned to the KCSO Major Vendor Narcotics Unit, August routinely participated in law enforcement marijuana eradication operations on public and private lands. During this time, August abused his position of trust and authority as a KCSO deputy by conspiring with a former confidential informant to take marijuana plants and processed marijuana from these law enforcement marijuana eradication operations and sell that marijuana for unlawful personal gain. On 10 separate occasions between March 2014 and December 2014, August wrongfully took marijuana from a law enforcement eradication operation for personal gain. August distributed to his former confidential informant the equivalent of 25 pounds of usable marijuana wrongfully taken from these law enforcement eradication operations. August received $15,000 from the sale of this marijuana.”
Snared by a joint operation of the FBI, DEA, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the two disgraced officers now face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Main photo courtesy of 23 ABC News Bakersfield
