Ex-Sheriff's Officer Gets 3 Years In Cocaine Theft

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A former Ocean County sheriff's officer has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing cocaine that was used by the sheriff's department to train law enforcement dogs, according to a report.

John C. Adams, 41, of Toms River was sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Adams pleaded guilty in December to stealing the cocaine, which had been entrusted to him for training dogs; Adams had been the K9 unit commander in the sheriff's office.

An investigation that began in January 2017 determined Adams had diverted more than a kilogram of cocaine and had personally consumed it. Adams was arrested and charged in March 2017 in the theft. He had been a sheriff's officer for 16 years.

Adams initially falsely reported that the cocaine was accidentally discarded with canine training items, then had blamed other members of the sheriff's department K9 unit for the cocaine's disappearance, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Adams lost his job and is ineligible for any future government employment in New Jersey, Della Fave said. Adams' salary was $116,468 in 2016, according to DataUniverse.

Read more on the sentencing here.

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