Retired Arapahoe County Sheriff, Patrick J. Sullivan Jr., is being held at the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility for unlawful distribution, manufacturing and dispensing of a controlled substance.
The Colorado acility was named after Sullivan when he retired back in 2002 after serving 40 years as a law enforcement official.
Ironic, isn’t it?
The 68-year-old former cop was arrested on Tuesday after he was caught with a hidden video camera handing over what appeared to be methamphetamine to an adult male in the bedroom of an Aurora residence, according to an arrest affidavit.
Sullivan now finds himself on thin ice as he is being accused of trading meth for sexual favors.
Two adult males, whose names aren’t being disclosed, claim they had participated in sexual activities with the retired sheriff in exchange to get high.
The investigation that led to Sullivan’s arrest stems from an incident in September where a man dialed 911.
The caller expressed concern over an “old guy” getting his roommates “back into drugs.”
The caller had confronted Sullivan and demanded he leave the property, according to an ABC affiliate in Denver. Sullivan’s response, they report: “if you want the police, I am the police.”
From there, Sullivan displayed his badge and left with the callers three roommates.
Sullivan attempted to get off the hook shortly after. The ex-“sheriff of the year” called the dispatcher hours after the dialer called 911 and claimed he was part of “a meth drug task force” and was helping recovering addicts sober up.
The probe conducted by the Drug Task Force and Sheriff’s Office investigators had the two informants place several phone calls and exchange multiple text messages with Sullivan about scoring what the DEA website calls “stove top” — and even this close to Thanksgiving, those in the sting weren’t talking abouto turkey stuffing.
An Arapahoe County judge doubled Sullivan’s bond to half a million dollars on Wednesday and ordered Sullivan not to attempt to make contact with anyone involved in the case.
Sullivan’s attorney objected to the increase since as of yet no charges have been filed.
“The allegations of criminal behavior involving Pat Sullivan are extraordinarily disturbing,” says Grayson Robinson, the current Arapahoe County Sheriff, to the ABC affiliate in Denver.
“While the arrest of the former sheriff is very troubling, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office continues to ensure that those who are responsible for criminal behavior and the victimization of our community will be held accountable by the criminal justice system. No one, and particularly a current or a former peace officer, is above the law. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has always demonstrated a solid commitment to our community and to public safety. This is a very sad time for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and our community,” Robinson adds.