Broom gets 5 years probation in plea bargain
Former Marion County Chief Deputy Jeff Broom will serve five years of probation after pleading guilty to the felony charge of obtaining a prescription by larceny.
The 50-year-old appeared Thursday during a lengthy process in the courtroom where he once helped send many others to prison.
Standing before 15th Judicial Circuit Judge Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald, Broom answered routine questions from the judge as several other pleas were accepted. The longtime former law enforcement officer declined to give a statement when McDonald gave him an opportunity before handing down the sentence.
An indictment alleged Broom took prescription drugs from the Marion County Narcotics Task Force following an automobile accident in 2016. Other charges he was indicted on of tampering with evidence and two counts of possession of a controlled substance were dropped in return for the plea.
Jason Josef, an assistant district attorney from Gulfport, prosecuted the case because District Attorney Hal Kittrell said the case was too close to his agency due to having worked with Broom on numerous occasions.
The events allegedly occurred on Sept. 2, 2016, and led to Broom’s resignation from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 23, 2016, amid an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
Broom began working for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in December 2016 but was placed on administrative leave after his indictment.
McDonald had Josef explain the state’s case as to what it would have presented in the event of the trial.
“The state will show that on Sept. 2, 2016, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted with a motor vehicle accident just east of the Pearl River Bridge,” he said. “Chief Deputy Broom responded along with Agent Bradley McDermit. They were able to find a bottle of Alprazolam pills (a sedative best know under the name Xanax) in one of the vehicles in the accident. Mr. McDermit would have testified that they opened and counted those pills in front of Mr. Broom and other officers and they had a count of 59 pills. They closed that bottle up and walked back to the Tahoe which was parked and placed that bottle of pills in the cupholder and secured the vehicle.”
According to Josef’s statements, shortly after that Broom went back to the Tahoe, opened the passenger side door and then told McDermit he had locked the door back.
“While they were out there on the scene, there was a call for another accident,” Joseph said. “Agent McDermit got in his Tahoe and went and picked up Constable Robbie Gill at the Sheriff’s Department to respond to the other accident. They never exited the vehicle. Constable Gill was never alone in the vehicle; McDermit was always there. They returned back to the sheriff’s department. Agent McDermit went to log the pills into evidence took them to his office and counted them out and the pill count was 36. There were 23 missing from when they had counted earlier. They counted them a number of times.”
McDermit then made contact with Broom and searched his Tahoe.
“They opened up the back of the Tahoe where Agent McDermit observed a number of empty pill bottles in back. Some of them did have Mr. Broom’s name on them. A pill bottle was obtained from the center console. Agent McDermit and Agent (Pete) Williams described Mr. Broom as very nervous during this encounter. Agent Williams obtained that pill bottle from Mr. Broom, and they opened it up and there were a number of different pills inside, 20 of the Alprazolam, 1 Diazapam (known under the band name Valium) and 22 Clonazapam (also a sedative). Agent Williams questioned him about that and Mr. Broom told him that was his medication. Following this, officers reported it to the sheriff, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate this.”
Deputies escorted Broom to the hospital, where a urine sample tested positive for Alprazolam. Broom was questioned by MBI agents and denied taking the pills. Subpoenas were done to check to see if Broom had a prescription, and none was found. The pills were sent to the state crime lab and confirmed to be 20 units of Alprazolam.
After hearing the evidence from the state, McDonald asked if Broom intended to plead guilty to the crime.
“Yes, sir,” Broom answered.
Later, after a meeting with attorneys, McDonald sentenced Broom.
“The pre-sentence report was waived in this matter,” McDonald said. “There are no victims, technically, so there is no one to report. Does the defendant have any people that he would like to have anyone he would like to have speak for him today? Does the defendant have anything he would like to say before I sentence him?”
Broom answered no to both, but his attorney asked to transfer his probation to Jackson County. “I reviewed your case with both the state and your defense attorney and the attorneys told me they had a recommendation in the case,” McDonald said. “Do you agree with that sentence recommendation?”
“Yes, sir,” Broom answered.
Broom assured the judge he would comply with the terms.
“I have considered what the recommendation was,” McDonald said. “In this matter, Mr. Broom, you are hereby sentenced to serve a term of five years in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with the entire period of incarceration suspended upon successful completion of a probationary period of three years. You will receive credit for any time you served at the county jail. The court has no objection with his transfer to Jackson County since he does have a job down there.”
The conditions of his probation include that he may not possess firearms or deadly weapons. Broom must also pay a variety fines including the required fees for probation, a fine of $1,000, $150 assessment for the court improvement fund, $250 assessment to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, $250 assessment to the Mississippi Crime Victims Association Fund. Broom was ordered to pay restitution of $100 per month beginning on Oct. 1.
Pictured Above: Jeff Broom, right, speaks with his attorney, Calvin Taylor, Thursday in circuit court. The former Marion County chief deputy pleaded guilty to obtaining a prescription by larceny. | Photo by Mark Rogers
