Pubdate: Tue, 05 Nov 2013
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2013 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Jim Walsh

REPORT: UNDERCOVER OFFICER OUTED DRUG PROBE

A former Tempe police detective had an affair with the target of an 
undercover drug investigation and outed herself and two other 
detectives as law-enforcement officers after having sex with him, 
according to a police report.

Detective Jessica Dever-Jakusz refused to speak with investigators 
and later resigned. Police sent a report last week to the Maricopa 
County Attorney's Office recommending that she be charged with two 
counts of hindering prosecution.

A spokesman said last week that the case is under review.

Dever-Jakusz's revelations to the drug suspect, her lover, on Oct. 10 
torpedoed a five month-long undercover investigation by at least 
three detectives into the sale on Mill Avenue of MDMA, nicknamed 
"Molly," the Tempe police report said.

The redacted report was released to Valley media outlets on Monday in 
response to public-records requests filed last week after Police 
Chief Tom Ryff sent a memo to employees confirming Dever-Jakusz's resignation.

Ryff's memo revealed that police were referring Dever-Jakusz's case 
to the County Attorney's Office and recommending the charges, but it 
did not explain why.

The report said that Dever-Jakusz's lover was surprised when she told 
him that he was under investigation and that the two other female 
detectives buying Molly from him also were undercover police officers.

"Up until that time, (the suspect) did not know or ever suspected 
that Dever(-Jakusz) was a police officer," the report said. The 
suspect told police that he didn't think Dever-Jakusz was being 
malicious in revealing the information, but that she was "careless" 
and "carefree" in her revelations.

The report said the suspect went to a police substation and told 
officers about Dever-Jakusz's statements about two or three days 
later. He told police he was not "emotionally tied" to Dever-Jakusz, 
though the affair started in August. The undercover buys with the 
suspect started in June, the report said.

While revealing her identity to the suspect, Dever-Jakusz said her 
"ex," a Chandler police officer, was "looking up a bunch of stuff" on 
him, the report said. She suspected his motivation was "for other 
than a legitimate purpose as a law-enforcement officer," the report said.

Chandler police confirmed last week that Officer Garrett Dever is the 
subject of an internal-affairs investigation and is married to 
Jessica Dever-Jakusz, but refused to release other details until the 
investigation is complete.

The report did not say why the suspect came forward, but it said his 
decision to divulge Dever-Jakusz's statements to police made it 
impossible for them to file charges against him for drug sales to Dever-Jakusz.

The suspect told police that, after Dever-Jakusz outed herself, he 
contacted a friend and told him that he also had been under investigation.

Police do not know if they will be able to file charges against the 
suspect for the drug sales to the two other female detectives in the 
undercover investigation, according to the report.

Ecstasy and Molly are slang names for MDMA, which acts as both a 
stimulant and psychedelic, according to national websites.

It can be mixed with other drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines and 
PCP. Media reports have tied the drug to fatal overdoses in other states.

An officer with 14 years experience, Dever-Jakusz was considered a 
"shining star" within the department and had been selected by 
administrators to appear in a reality television show this past summer.

Dever-Jakusz and another Tempe officer traded jobs with two officers 
from Zurich, Switzerland, for a week.

Because of her previous experience as a narcotics detective, 
Dever-Jakusz was assigned to mentor the other detectives in the MDMA 
investigation, the report said. The other female detectives were 
less-experienced in narcotics investigations.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom