By Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – A former St. Louis police officer has pleaded guilty to a federal felony theft count for stealing electronics merchandise confiscated during an arrest.
58-year-old Roland Jackson admitted Thursday that in July, he and another officer acted on a tip that a woman had been spotted in a gas station parking lot with stolen electronics, including a Wii gaming system, a laptop, another computer and a flat screen TV. Jackson and the other officer arrested the woman, who was not named in court documents on minor traffic warrants. She was never charged with the thefts, and Jackson admitted that he and the other officer never reported the seized equipment to the police department, then split it up and sold it for cash.
The woman, it turned out, was cooperating with federal agents. Jackson faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced in March.
The other former officer involved, 25-year-old Christian Brezill, has been indicted on the same charges. He is still awaiting trial.
Jackson was a 32-year department veteran when he retired in October after being charged. Brezill, a probationary officer at the time, was fired.