Judge orders ex-narcotics officer to prison
BY JOE GYAN JR.
Advocate staff writer
November 11, 2012
A former Baton Rouge police narcotics officer who admitted stealing three shotguns and more than $27,000 in cash that was to be used as evidence in drug cases was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.
State District Judge Richard Anderson also ordered Michael Thompson, 29, to pay $27,065 in restitution to the city of Baton Rouge.
Thompson, of Baton Rouge, will be on active supervised probation for three years following his release from prison, the judge added. The sentence was part of Thompson’s negotiated plea agreement.
Thompson, who was indicted last year on 16 counts of theft, pleaded guilty in August to a single count of felony theft that encompassed all of his criminal conduct, Assistant State Attorney General Butch Wilson said Friday.
The thefts occurred from Sept. 28, 2010, to April 2, 2011, an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury indictment stated.
Police have said Thompson stole the money from cases in which he was either the lead investigator or assisted in the investigation.
“Several cases had to be dismissed because the evidence was missing,” Wilson said.
The thefts were discovered when an upcoming narcotics case was being prepared for trial and investigators noticed money to be used as evidence was missing, police said. Thompson was the narcotics officer assigned to that case.
The indictment accused Thompson of stealing as little as $30 on Sept. 28, 2010, and as much as $9,565 on Dec. 27, 2010. He also was accused of stealing $6,500 on Dec. 26, 2010, and $3,600 on April 2, 2011.
Thompson blamed his addiction to prescription pain medication for the thefts, police said.
Thompson’s attorney, Charles Dirks, declined comment after the sentencing.
Thompson resigned from the department shortly after he was arrested April 13, 2011. He was a five-year veteran of the police force.