Newly-Elected Sheriff Resigns After Admitting He Stole Meth from an Evidence Locker: Reports
A recently-elected West Virginia sheriff — and professed meth addict — has pleaded guilty to stealing the drug from an evidence locker and has resigned, according to the Associated Press, MetroNews and WSAZ.
Bo Williams entered his guilty plea to a charge of entering without breaking when he appeared before the Roane County Circuit Court on Wednesday, according to these reports. He stepped down as Roane County sheriff the same day, as part of his plea agreement, and has also given up his law enforcement credentials.
Williams stole 20 grams of meth, according to MetroNews.
His sentencing is scheduled for March 28, according to the AP, where he faces up to 10 years in prison.
“It’s an example of what drugs like meth have done to our communities,” prosecutor Josh Downey told the AP. “Some people have a picture of what a drug addict looks like. It shows that it can be anybody.”
Authorities say Williams stole meth from a storage area when he was serving as a police officer in Spencer, West Virginia, in October, according to MetroNews.
Williams was elected sheriff in November and resigned from the Spencer police department in December, according to the AP. He assumed his position as sheriff earlier this month and was arrested days later, according to MetroNews.
He had previously been suspended while working as a Spencer cop, in connection with the missing drug, according to MetroNews.
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Meth was found in Williams’ desk and police car, according to AP. Prosecutors said that evidence bags found with him had case numbers that matched the missing evidence.
Williams was originally charged with grand larceny, according to AP. More than $1,000 in evidence was involved in his case, prosecutors said.
Downey said Williams told him, Spencer Police Chief Greg Nichols and a state police sergeant in November that he had been addicted to meth for more than a year, according to AP. Downey also said Williams admitted taking meth from a case file and then consuming it.
“This is a sad case,” Downey told MetroNews. “When you get down to it, this is a man who has a wonderful wife, a very loving family, he has five children. Just another example of what drugs, methamphetamines, have done to our communities.”
The Roane County Sheriff’s Office, prosecutors and Williams could not immediately be reached for comment.
