Central Alabama: One Former Police Chief Faces Additional Criminal Charges - Another Sentenced in se
ELMORE CO., AL (WSFA)
Former Tallassee Police Chief Chris Miles is facing more criminal charges after an Elmore County Grand Jury indicted him Wednesday on second degree burglary and second degree theft charges.
The latest indictments against Miles, 41, of Eclectic, stem from an August 2013 burglary of a property on West Butler Street in Tallassee in which a firearm was allegedly taken.
“Chris Miles is a prime example of someone who does not deserve to wear the badge of law enforcement," said District Attorney Randall Houston. "He abused his power as an officer and abused the trust of the public, which he swore to protect and serve. These charges, coupled with the federal charges against him, should ensure he never has the opportunity to do it again."
The district attorney's reference to federal charges relates to the four federal indictments, including deprivation of rights and obstruction of justice, brought against the former law enforcement officer back in November. Miles reportedly used a phone book and reams of paper to beat coerced confessions from a suspect in a heinous child sex abuse case that included more than 100 charges.
“When Chris started this downhill slide there was a lot of stuff that happened,” Houston admitted. “I don't know what his reasons were, but I know when he started downhill, he took a lot of dirt with him.”
Miles was fired from the police department in 2013.
Houston confirmed in a press statement that the federal charges are associated with the investigation developed by the State Bureau of Investigation that led to the latest indictment.
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Former AL police chief convicted of selling weapon, ammo to person living in US illegally
By Tanita Gaither, Digital Content Director
MONTGOMERY, AL (WTVM)
A former police chief in Macon County, AL, accused of selling ammunition to an undocumented immigrant, was sentenced in federal court last week by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck, Jr.
Former Franklin, AL Police Chief Michael Clements, 57, was convicted of selling ammunition, guns and other stolen items during a three-day trial in Montgomery.
“For citizens to have confidence in their government, public corruption cannot be tolerated,” Beck said “As a public official, Mr. Clements was a guardian of the public trust. Thankfully, an overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers honorably serve their communities every day.”
An investigation of Clements came to an end on July 16, 2015, when his Franklin, AL home was raided.
Evidence shown that the former police chief became a target of the FBI, who along with the Auburn Police Department, received information that Clements was selling stolen property - including computers, iPhones, flat screen TVs and more - and firearms from him home as a side business.
During the investigation, it was discovered through video surveillance that Clements was "brokering the sale of a firearm and ammunition" to an undocumented immigrant.
"At trial, the evidence revealed that Clements negotiated the sale of a firearm to a Mexican national illegally in the country even after the alien had provided Clements with an identification card written entirely in Spanish and issued by a Mexican governmental entity," a press release said.
Clements faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2016.
Clements was indicted by a grand jury for selling a .357 Smith and Wesson handgun to a person the Chief allegedly knew was living here illegally in July 2014, then he allegedly sold the same person ammunition on May 8, knowing the buyer was illegally living in the United States.
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