Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 2005
Source: Advertiser, The (Lafayette, LA)
Copyright: 2005 The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Contact:  http://www.theadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1670
Author: Kayla Gagnet
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

POLICE OFFICER BOOKED IN DRUG INVESTIGATION

Two veteran Lafayette police officers have been fired and one of them 
arrested in connection with a broad internal affairs investigation that 
involves at least two other officers, a June drug bust and a downtown bar.

The internal affairs investigation suggests that Cpl. John Keith Richard 
and Cpl. Trampus Gaspard were involved with steroids. Police officials 
would neither confirm nor deny these accusations.

They were fired Tuesday because they violated the police department's drug 
policy, said Lafayette Police spokesman Cpl. Mark Francis. He would not 
provide further details.

In addition, Richard, 33, was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional 
Center on Tuesday for alleged possession of the prescription painkiller 
Hydrocodone and possession of a stolen firearm. He posted $15,000 bond and 
was free by Tuesday evening.

Richard's roommate, 26-year-old Jessie Walton, also was booked for 
possession of steroids. They were arrested at their Summer Place apartment, 
according to police records.

Richard and Gaspard have been on paid administrative leave since June 16. 
Two other officers - Jason Galatas and Jason Herpin - also were placed on 
leave at that time. Herpin has since returned to work in the patrol 
division, and Galatas remains on leave.

Louisiana State Police conducted the criminal investigation at the request 
of Lafayette Police Chief Randy Hundley, said State Police spokesman Willie 
Williams.

In a news conference Tuesday, Williams and Francis released few details in 
the case, but said more charges and arrests are likely.

Connected to the internal affairs investigation is a June arrest where 
officers confiscated 21 bottles of anabolic steroids, among other drugs, at 
the home of Mark Anthony Cormier, 25. Herpin was listed as the arresting 
officer for that arrest.

In addition, a part of the complaint that sparked the investigation started 
at Club 410 on Jefferson Street, Francis said. All officers have been 
banned from doing off-duty security detail at the club until the 
investigation is complete.

Authorities won't say how either is connected to the case.

"The arrest is just one part of this investigation," Francis said. "If we 
have to come to you with news we're not happy with, we'll have to step 
forward and talk about that."

Steroid abuse among police officers isn't a new phenomenon, experts say, 
but it's one that hasn't gotten much attention until recently.

"Most people and police departments tend to view steroids as not as big an 
issue as the use of illegal drugs," said Larry K. Gaines, chairman of the 
criminal justice department at California State University at San 
Bernardino. "Most departments are not screening because it substantially 
increases the cost of drug testing."

Steroids can be appealing to some police officers who think the drugs can 
make them more intimidating to criminals and protect them in dangerous 
situations, experts say. But steroids also can lead to health problems and 
uncontrolled aggression, also known as "roid rage."

Gaines said there's no way to know who may be affected by "roid rage," but 
its effects can be particularly dangerous when police officers suffer from it.

Police officers in at least 10 other states, including Mississippi and 
Alabama, also have been accused of steroid-related offenses in recent years.

Gaines has studied select cases of steroid abuse in the law enforcement 
community, but said it is nearly impossible to quantify.

"It's a hidden problem," Gaines said. "Right now there's no mechanism out 
there to ferret out what is really going on."

Richard is a 10-year veteran of the police department and most recently 
worked as a K-9 officer. Gaspard worked as a training officer.

Both men have faced brutality complaints in recent years.

Gaspard is named as a defendant in a recent federal lawsuit by Kevin 
Alexander, who claims he was shocked with a Taser 17 times during his 
August 2004 arrest. Alexander claimed Gaspard and others used "excessive 
force" and were trying to force him to vomit drugs they claimed he swallowed.

Police have not responded to these allegations.

Richard was named in a federal lawsuit by Zachary Morris, who was shot and 
paralyzed after a standoff in February 2003. Richard and another officer 
were cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the case, and Lafayette Consolidated 
Government recently settled the lawsuit for $100,000.

Both Richard and Gaspard were cleared of criminal charges by a grand jury 
in connection with the death of a man killed in a February 2003 shoot-out. 
Michael Angelle, 44, fired on officers who entered his home on Mudd Avenue 
with a search warrant for illegal drugs. The officers returned fire and 
Angelle was shot in the lower abdomen.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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