A three-year member of the Gary Police Department has been arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana after being detained at a traffic stop in Oklahoma. According to Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty, 29-year-old Marla Guye and her passenger were arrested on the Turner Turnpike near Chandler, Oklahoma, which is roughly halfway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The arrest came after the Highway Patrol Interdiction Unit searched Guye’s vehicle and found enough marijuana to warrant a felony drug trafficking charge against the officer. Drug trafficking is a serious charge in Oklahoma, one that can result in a felony conviction, time in prison, years of probation or parole, and a loss of civil rights. If you have been charged with drug trafficking in Oklahoma, contact our experienced criminal defense lawyers at AMA Law to discuss your legal options.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST POLICE OFFICERS
Guye was hired by the Gary Police Department in November 2009, at the height of former Mayor Rudy Clay’s push to hire Gary, Indiana residents as law enforcement officers. Changes to the hiring process allowed the administration to choose anyone on the hiring list, rather than hiring based on a battery of tests. Two other patrolmen hired around the same time as Guye are no longer employed by the police department; one was fired for crashing his take-home squad car while testing positive for marijuana, and the other was charged in U.S. District Court with dealing cocaine. Indiana state law requires a hearing for any disciplinary action that exceeds five days without pay against a member of the police department. In most cases, officers facing criminal charges are assigned to administrative duties. Gary Police Chief Wade Ingram indicated that after he receives a copy of the charging affidavit, he will make a decision about Guye’s standing with the department.
OUR CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS CAN HELP
According to Oklahoma criminal law, drug trafficking is the act of possessing, manufacturing or distributing illegal narcotics, including marijuana, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. Any person who manufactures, transports or sells large quantities of controlled substances in the state of Oklahoma can be charged with drug trafficking by OK law enforcement. If you are facing drug trafficking charges in Oklahoma, your first course of action should be to contact our qualified criminal defense attorneys at AMA Law. In Oklahoma, a felony drug trafficking conviction is associated with severe penalties that can significantly impact the remainder of your life, possibly resulting in mandatory prison time, driver’s license suspension and hefty fines. With the help of our knowledgeable criminal defense lawyers, you can significantly improve your chances of having your charges reduced or dismissed altogether.