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Wednesday, March 8, 2000

Man admits to stealing guns to buy medicine

Former Longview police officer would pawn a confiscated gun when he was low on money

Associated Press

LONGVIEW - A former Longview police officer has pleaded guilty to pawning confiscated guns to buy medicine for his heart condition.
   Michael Patrick Healy, 51, was handed a five-year deferred sentence by State District Judge David Brabham after his plea on Monday.
   The sentence means Healy will not be found guilty if he meets probation conditions that include turning in his badge, which he did three months ago, and attending a class to discourage theft. Healy was indicted in February on a charge of theft of a firearm by a public servant.
   Healy has been in law enforcement for 23 years, the last 18 years with the Longview Police Department.
   He had undergone double bypass heart surgery in March 1997 and returned to work the following September.
   Healy retired in December after telling investigators he took nine guns earmarked for destruction. He said he was unsure how many times he had pawned guns.
   Pawnshop tickets showed Healy took loans of $130 to $200 for the weapons, which he would buy out of hock when he received health insurance checks.
   "Generally, if I was short of money to pay for my medication, I would pawn one of the guns," Healy's statement said. Authorities said that although no criminal court cases were compromised by Healy's actions, the officer still broke the law.
  

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