EX-MARION COUNTY RESERVE POLICE OFFICER
SENTENCED TO THIRTY YEARS

PRESS RELEASE

Timothy M. Morrison, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, announced that CHRISTOPHER D. SPAULDING, 27, Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 360 months imprisonment late yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Barker following his guilty plea to theft of government property, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, distribution of marijuana, and two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. This case was the result of a six-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Christopher SPAULDING was a reserve deputy with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. In sentencing SPAULDING, Judge Barker commented, “Your behavior posed a risk to those officers in Marion County who perform their daily duties honestly to protect the citizens.”

On November 29, 2006, SPAULDING conducted a traffic stop, in a police vehicle, in full uniform, and seized $7,000 from an undercover police officer posing as a Mexican drug dealer. An informant working with police told SPAULDING about the money the “Mexican drug dealer” was carrying. SPAULDING gave half of the interdicted money to the police informant and kept the remaining money for himself.

On February 8, 2007, the FBI and ISP placed twenty pounds of marijuana in a hotel room. A police informant told SPAULDING that drug dealers had put the marijuana there. SPAULDING was in police uniform and carrying his service weapon on his person when he gained access to the hotel room by telling the desk clerk he was there to check out a disturbance. SPAULDING took the marijuana, but never turned it into his agency. In fact, SPAULDING delivered the marijuana to the police informant, intending for the police informant to sell the marijuana and pay him part of the proceeds. The informant turned over the drugs to police and paid SPAULDING with money provided by police several days later.

On February 17, 2007, the FBI and ISP executed a controlled purchase of marijuana from SPAULDING. During the controlled purchase, SPAULDING sold approximately two pounds of marijuana to a police informant. On March 1, 2007, the FBI obtained court authorization to conduct wire surveillance over SPAULDING’s cellular telephone.

On March 2, 2007, the FBI and ISP executed a controlled purchase from SPAULDING. During the controlled purchase, SPAULDING sold approximately two pounds of marijuana to a police informant. SPAULDING possessed his service weapon during the controlled transaction.

According to Assistant U. S. Attorneys Bradley A. Blackington and Joe H. Vaughn, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Barker also imposed 3 years supervised release following SPAULDING’s release from imprisonment. During the period of supervised release, SPAULDING will be subject to random searches of his person, vehicle, and residence. SPAULDING was also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $3,600.

In addition to sentencing CHRISTOPHER SPAULDING, Judge Barker sentenced his wife, BRANDI SPAULDING, and his mother, DARLENE SPAULDING, for their roles in his marijuana trafficking activity. BRANDI SPAULDING and DARLENE SPAULDING pled guilty to using a communications device to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. They each were sentenced to two years probation. Each woman was intercepted handling small amounts of marijuana over CHRISTOPHER SPAULDING’s cellular telephone.

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