Four officers with the Scottsboro Police Department in Alabama were suspended without pay for their use of the anabolic steroid testosterone. The Scottsboro police chief and mayor initially refused to identify the officers or disclose the reasons for their suspensions citing it was an internal matter. Less than a week later, the internal matter became a matter of public record when one of the suspended officers admitting using steroids during open court in a divorce hearing.
WAFF 48 News, the local NBC affiliate, broke the story when they discovered that one of the suspended police officers had been accused of using anabolic steroids by his estranged wife. The wife filed a domestic violence report with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office several days earlier.
Ashley McIllwain accused her husband Chris McIllwain of using anabolic steroids, being controlling and hot-tempered and acting violently in her presence. She submitted court documents with photographic evidence of damage inflicted upon a bedroom door, a jewelry box and a picture frame.
The media attended a divorce hearing on Monday, November 21, 2011 to learn more about the steroid scandal at the Scottsboro Police Department. Their attendance was rewarded with several new revelations.
During the hearing, McIllwain acknowledged that he was suspended for his use of steroids, provided the names of the other police officers suspended for steroid use and claimed that he told the Scottsboro PD that he had used anabolic steroids when he submitted his pre-employment application.
Mayor Melton Potter responded with confirmation that Shane Clarke, Gerald Mount, Chris McIllwain and Jeremy Ake Monday were suspended for using testosterone.
“The officers have been warned that any continued use of this substance would result in discipline up to and including termination,” added Potter.
It is unknown if the officers were using “doctor-prescribed” testosterone or if the Scottboro Police Department would allow testosterone if it were prescribed for therapeutic purposes.
Scottsboro Police Chief Ralph Dawe also refused to discuss McIllwain’s claim that the department knew about his steroid use when they hired him.
Source:
Patterson, D. (November 21, 2011). Suspended police officers revealed. Retrieved from http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_221c8c2a-148c-11e1-a808-001cc4c03286.html
McLamb, S. (November 17, 2011). New allegation surfaces in Scottsboro Police officer investigation. Retrieved from http://www.waff.com/story/16060220/n
