A former Marion County chief deputy now faces up to 17 years in prison after being arrested on a four-count drug indictment.
Jeff Broom, 47, allegedly took a prescription drug from the Marion County Narcotics Task Force in 2016 and also allegedly possessed two other prescription drugs at the time, according to court documents.
A Marion County grand jury handed down the indictment Dec. 27, and Broom turned himself in to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 4 and posted a $9,000 bond.
Attempts to reach Broom for comment were unsuccessful. Sheriff Berkley Hall could also not be reached for comment.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation, and District Attorney Hal Kittrell said Joel Smith, the DA in Harrison and Hancock counties, is prosecuting the case. “We felt it was a conflict of interest if we handled it because of the closeness to our agency,” Kittrell said.
The events alleged in the indictment happened on Sept. 2, 2016, and Broom resigned from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 23, 2016. Hall said at the time of the resignation that it was a personnel issue that couldn’t be discussed but that the MBI was called in to look into “a matter we deemed as questionable.”
Broom began working for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in December 2016. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said in a news release that he has placed Broom on administrative leave with pay following the indictment and that his department is conducting its own internal investigation.
Count 1 of the indictment is for a felony charge of “obtaining possession of a prescription by misrepresentation, fraud and the like.” It alleges that on or about Sept. 2, 2016, Broom “did knowingly, intentionally and feloniously acquire or obtain possession of Alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance by larceny from the custody of the Marion County Narcotics Task Force.” That charge carries a penalty of between one to five years in prison and up to a $1,000 fine. Alprazolam is a sedative best known under the brand name Xanax.
Count II addresses tampering with evidence and alleges that Broom “did willingly, unlawfully, feloniously, and intentionally destroy, mutilate, conceal, remove or alter physical evidence with the intent to impair its use, verity or availability in a prospective official proceeding, believing that an official proceeding may be instituted to-wit: by removing Alprozalam, a Schedule IV controlled substance during an investigation by the Marion County Narcotics Task Force.” That charge is also a felony and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $3,000 fine, if convicted.
Counts III and IV in the indictment are misdemeanors and allegedly involved the possession of less than 100 dosage units of diazepam, a sedative best known under the brand name Valium, and less than 100 units of clonazepam, also a sedative. Those counts carry up to a year in prison and $1,000 fine apiece.
Broom, a 19-year veteran of law enforcement, was probably best known for his community service during his years with the MCSO. He often spoke to community groups and helped at events. Under his leadership, more than 800 children were fingerprinted for safe ID.
