Sgt.
Kenneth Edwards, a 21-year veteran of the Opelousas Police Department, is in
the St. Landry Parish Jail today, charged with distributing Schedule III drugs
to inmates in the Opelousas City Jail.
Edwards,
who has been on paid sick leave since August, was arrested Friday morning and
charged with two counts each of “doctor shopping,” distributing of narcotics
and introduction of contraband into a penal institution.
Doctor
shopping involves obtaining a legitimate prescription for an actual injury, but
then going to multiple doctors and seeking a new prescription for pain
medications from each.
Trooper
Stephen Hammons with State Police, whose agency handled the investigation,
declined to say how many doctors Edwards had visited, but said it involved
“doctors throughout the area.”
If
convicted, Edwards faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $15,000 fine on each
of the distribution charges and up to five years in jail on each of the other
charges.
Opelousas
Police Chief Perry Gallow, who served as Edwards training officer when Edwards
first joined the force, called this a sad day.
“Sgt.
Edwards did an outstanding job. He was a very caring person. This is
unfortunate but this is a profession and we have professional standards that
can’t be compromised,” Gallow said.
Edwards
was a highly decorated officer who most recently served as a patrol officer,
though Gallow said he had also served as warden the city jail for about 18
months in 2011 and 2012.
After
his return to patrol duty, Edwards suffered injuries to both his back and
shoulder while making an arrest in August of 2012 and has been on paid sick
leave since.
Gallow
said the possible violation came to his attention in October of last year when
he received a letter accusing Edwards of supplying pain pills to inmates.
As
this involved one of his own officers, Gallow immediately turn the matter over
to state police.
Hammons
said state police were able to confirm that Edwards delivered pills to inmates
at least twice since then.
“This
is certainly a sad day for the Opelousas Police Department and the citizens of
our great city,” Gallow said. “The public has placed its trust in us and we can
not violate that trust. This is an extremely difficult day for our entire
department.”
Hammonds
said Edwards was arrested without incident and the case is being turned over
the St. Landry Parish District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
This is the second arrest of a serving OPD
officer in as many years. Earlier last year Yolanda Lewis was charged with
malfeasance in office after allegedly interfering with an investigation
involving her husband.