Thread: Former WPB cop sold drugs to other officers, feds say

Former WPB cop sold drugs to other officers, feds say

April 17, 2014|By Paula McMahon, Sun Sentinel

A former West Palm Beach police officer surrendered in federal court Thursday to face allegations that he sold steroids — while armed and in uniform — to customers who included his fellow officers.

Dewitt McDonald, 45, of Wellington, was fired in 2013 after racking up a long history of misconduct, including a 2006 suspension for buying steroids from the notorious PowerMedica pharmacy in Deerfield Beach before it was raided and shut down by the feds.




Though McDonald pleaded not guilty during his court appearance in Fort Lauderdale, federal prosecutors and his attorney made it clear that he has been cooperating with investigators and is expected to plead guilty to the lone charge of knowingly carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he'll be here for a plea, he'll be here for sentencing," his lawyer Michael Salnick told the judge.

McDonald, who was handcuffed and shackled in court, was released on a $250,000 bond.

While McDonald was still employed by the police department in 2011 and 2012, he opened Prime Performance Wellness Centers Inc. in Lake Worth and Prime Health and Rejuvenation Clinic in Wellington.

The businesses advertised testosterone and human growth hormone therapy, but prosecutors said he used them to illegally sell anabolic steroids and other prescription drugs between September 2011 and April 2013.

"At times, he was doing this while in uniform and carrying a firearm," prosecutor Jeffrey Kaplan said.
McDonald has been a police officer for more than 18 years.

The charge relates to a March 5, 2013 incident when McDonald delivered drugs — while on duty and carrying his Smith & Wesson M&P40 pistol — to a person in Palm Beach County.

McDonald forged the signatures of doctors on prescriptions, altered prescriptions, illegally split larger vials into smaller ones and signed his name on pre-printed prescriptions that listed the doctors' names, investigators said.

Salnick praised his client's work ethic and said he was a "cops' cop." Sentencing guidelines suggest he could face five years in federal prison.

"He knows he's got to do some prison time," Salnick said. He declined to comment on whether McDonald has testified or is expected to testify against others.

"Obviously, the activities of the entire West Palm Beach Police Department, in my opinion, deserve some scrutiny," Salnick said after the hearing, adding that "mandatory drug-testing of police officers at least twice a week" would be a good start.

West Palm Beach Police did not respond to requests for comment.

McDonald had turned over all of his firearms to his lawyer some time ago, when he first came under scrutiny, and gave up his ******** on Thursday. He is not allowed to leave South Florida while the charge is pending.