FRESNO, Calif. – Justice finally caught up with Logan August, 30, of Bakersfield, and Derrick Penney, 34, of Star, Idaho. Both former deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, according to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. The pair exploited their badges for personal gain, turning a blind eye to the law they were sworn to uphold.
Court documents reveal a calculated scheme spanning from June 2014 to October 2014. August and Penney, while still active law enforcement officers, colluded with former Bakersfield Police Department detective Patrick Mara and a previously used confidential informant, among others. Their target: marijuana seized during KCSO investigations of both public and private marijuana grows. They didn’t just seize evidence – they stole it. The stolen marijuana was then processed, yielding roughly eight pounds of smokable product.
The operation wasn’t a one-time grab. August delivered the processed marijuana to his former informant, who handled the sales. The profits weren’t kept solely by the informant. August shared the proceeds with Penney and Mara, each netting approximately $1,200. But that was just the beginning. From March 2014 to December 2014, August routinely pilfered marijuana directly from law enforcement eradication operations while assigned to the KCSO Major Vendor Narcotics Unit.
During these eradication operations, designed to eliminate illegal marijuana grows, August abused his authority to take marijuana plants and processed marijuana for resale. Over ten separate incidents, he managed to divert the equivalent of 25 pounds of usable marijuana. This stolen product was also distributed through his informant, earning August a staggering $15,000. It’s a clear case of officers profiting from the very crimes they were tasked to investigate.
Both August and Penney have agreed to forfeit any proceeds gained from their illegal marijuana trafficking. The investigation, a joint effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bakersfield Police Department, demonstrates a commitment to rooting out corruption within law enforcement. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office provided full cooperation throughout the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Scott and Brian Delaney are prosecuting the case. August and Penney are scheduled to be sentenced on August 7, 2017, by Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill. They each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, the final sentence will be determined by the court, taking into account statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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