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Former Sheriff Arrested

select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,453 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2011 in General Discussion
Former "sheriff of the year" arrested and sent to jail named after him



Mugshot of former "sheriff of the year" Pat Sullivan
Every civil servant wants to experience his or her legacy firsthand--but not the way that onetime Arapahoe Sheriff Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. has. Sullivan, a nationally renowned law enforcement leader, was arrested on drug charges and is now being detained in the Denver area jail that bears his name.

Sullivan, who in 2001 was named the National Sheriff Association's "Sheriff of the Year," was arrested on suspicion of trafficking methamphetamines.

Local news station CBS4 began an investigation of Sullivan last month on a tip that he had agreed to meet a male informant, providing drugs in exchange for sex. He was subsequently arrested by the South Metro Drug Task Force and is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.

And in an incredible twist of fate, Sullivan now cooling his heels at The Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility, named in his honor.

"The allegations of criminal behavior involving Pat Sullivan are extraordinarily disturbing," said Grayson Robinson, Arapahoe County's current sheriff. "While the arrest of the former sheriff is very troubling, no one, and particularly a former peace officer, is above the law. This is the most shocking thing I've ever been involved with."


Sullivan, 68, has been retired for nine years, but had been serving as director of safety and security for Cherry Creek Schools.

"This is a very sad time for the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and our community," Robinson said. The CBS4 report also found that for several years Sullivan has posted bond for multiple suspects held in drug cases at jail facilities across the state.

As recently as 2008, Sullivan was an active participant in state and local methamphetamine task forces, helping Colorado draft a plan to deal with the surge in meth-related crime.

In 1995 President Bill Clinton named Sullivan to the National Commission on Crime Prevention and Control. According to a 1995 White House news release, Sullivan was a consultant to U.S. House Subcommittee on Crime and served on two advisory councils affiliated with the Department of Justice.

Comments

  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 31,934 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We do not know the whole story. Don
  • Waco WaltzWaco Waltz Member Posts: 10,828 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dcon12
    We do not know the whole story. Don


    I bet that is true! Sounds like someone went fishing in his backyard, maybe for political reasons.
  • yoshmysteryoshmyster Member Posts: 20,979 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Who's house? Pat Sullivan's [:D].
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,815 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    not only a meth dealer, but apparently a perve too...lovely
  • legearlegear Member Posts: 6,716
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by yoshmyster
    Who's house? Pat Sullivan's [:D].



    Thats why you dont name something after a living person.......
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    He knew first hand how lucrative the dug trade is..[;)]It will get one FREE room and board..[:o)][:o)]
  • JnRockwallJnRockwall Member Posts: 16,350 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    $500K bail for trading meth for sex?
  • Colonel PlinkColonel Plink Member Posts: 16,460
    edited November -1
    Jesus wept. 9News has more...
    http://www.9news.com/news/article/232981/339/Cops-expose-fmr-sheriffs-drug-exchange-system

    ARAPAHOE COUNTY - Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan limped into court Wednesday morning, using a cane, as he faced accusations of trying to exchange methamphetamine for a sexual encounter with an adult man.

    The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office says the investigation into Sullivan, 68, began on Nov. 17 after deputies got tips that Sullivan was involved in distributing and using meth.

    Current Arapahoe County Sheriff and former Undersheriff when Sullivan was sheriff - Grayson Robinson - had heard prior rumors about Sullivan leading an "alternative lifestyle," but had never before heard of the drug connection.

    After the South Metro Drug Task Force and sheriff's investigators say they saw Sullivan give meth to the man around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sullivan was taken into custody without incident.

    The Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility is named after Sullivan - which is where he was being held. The judge doubled his bond to $500,000 Wednesday morning. He will be formally charged on Dec. 5.

    According to Robinson, Sullivan's bond was increased because it is a "high profile case with an ongoing investigation."

    9NEWS reporter Jennifer Ryan says Sullivan entered the courtroom Wednesday morning in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed and looking toward the ground. Ryan says Sullivan barely made eye contact with anyone but the judge. The judge also ordered a protection order against Sullivan, which prevents him from possessing a firearm or intimidating witnesses.

    "I think the clear message is first and foremost, this is sad. This is a sadness for this organization. This is a sadness for men and women that serve with pride and integrity every day at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. And it's a sadness for our community. But beyond, and well beyond the sadness, no one is above the law," Robinson said.

    Authorities say Sullivan faces charges of selling a controlled substance, a class-five felony. If he is convicted, he faces one to six years in prison.

    Investigators told 9Wants to Know the man that Sullivan wanted to have sex with was a long-time associate of the former sheriff.

    The sheriff's department went to Sullivan's home that he shares with his wife. His wife gave them permission to conduct a search. They took large amounts of homosexual pornography that involves adults. They also took two computers that are being reviewed right now by the Arapahoe County forensics investigators. All the porn involved adults. Sullivan's family is cooperating fully, according to Robinson.

    Neighbors of the home where the alleged transaction took place, in the 16000 block of East Ada Place, say they heard a loud boom that they assumed was police going into the home. One neighbor told 9Wants to Know she saw several unmarked units swarm the home and then police started pulling a lot of things out of the home.

    "I've heard that he used to be the sheriff of Arapahoe County, so it's just quite shocking to know that a sheriff was next door to my house... conducting in drug transactions," Amanda Cardenas, a neighbor, said.

    Sullivan served as sheriff from 1984 until he retired in 2002. He started with the department in 1979 after serving with Littleton Police beginning in 1962.

    "The allegations of criminal behavior involving Pat Sullivan are extraordinarily disturbing," Robinson said earlier in a news release. "While the arrest of the former sheriff is very troubling, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office continues to ensure that those who are responsible for criminal behavior and the victimization of our community will be held accountable by the criminal justice system. No one, and particularly a current or a former peace officer, is above the law. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office has always demonstrated a solid commitment to our community and to public safety. This is a very sad time for the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and our community."

    This is an ongoing investigation, according to Robinson.

    "We will move quickly as quickly as we can," Roinson said.

    Robinson also mentioned there will be "additional charges and arrests if needed."

    Investigators officers have looked into Sullivan's past going back many years and have discovered many encounters, 9Wants to Know has learned. They are still trying to figure out how those may play into Sullivan's charges.

    Officials do not believe that all encounters were necessarily illegal and say some involved consenting adults not engaging in illegal activity. Robinson confirms to 9Wants to Know that Sullivan did bond out several people at "a variety" of detention centers in the Denver metro area. Robinson says that is part of the overall investigation.

    VIEW: Sullivan's affidavit

    Robinson would not say what type of suspects he bonded out and would not confirm if they were drug suspects.

    In 1989, Sullivan crashed his Jeep through a fence to rescue a wounded deputy during a standoff.

    Eugene Thompson, Jr., 24, went on a rampage with a semiautomatic pistol in Arapahoe County, abducting a woman and then killing her and her mother-in-law. He then raped another woman before he was cornered in a town house. The gunman shot and wounded two officers and another hostage before he fatally shot himself.

    During the standoff, Sullivan sped his Jeep toward the deputy to create a diversion during the standoff. He then jumped out of the Jeep and rescued the wounded deputy as others provided cover. He then quickly backed out of the scene, going right through a fence and slamming into a patrol car to get to safety.

    At the time, Sullivan used the event to champion gun control. He held up a semiautomatic weapon on TV and demanded more restrictions.

    Sullivan then participated in many national programs, some preparing the country for a national disaster. He also took a prominent role during the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. After he retired in 2002, he led the security department for the Cherry Creek School District. He worked there until the end of the 2007-2008 school year.

    The adult informants both say they had sex with Sullivan previously. They do not currently have any minors who have come forward - or people who say they had sex with Sullivan while they were minors - but finding out if there were minors involved is a big part of their investigation. There are no allegations right now that any of this involves Cherry Creek Schools or his employment at the district. That potential connection is part of the investigation.

    Cherry Creek Schools released a statement on Tuesday night:

    "We are absolutely stunned at the news of Mr. Sullivan's arrest and are fully co-operating [with] the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office with their investigation," CCSD Superintendent Mary Chesley said.
  • DRP-AZDRP-AZ Member Posts: 2,318 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just call me Paul Harvey....

    Sheriff Sullivan (Republican) was a zealot for gun control. He was a major force (and pain in the a**) in writing restrictive gun laws in Colorado, including Colorado's mini-Brady Law. Sheriff Sullivan testified before Congress in favor of gun control numerous times. He was one of the Brady Campaign's favorite poster-boys, in writing and passing, the Brady Act and the Semi Auto (assualt rifle) ban.

    What goes around, comes around. Karma is a b*tch
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