A former police chief of Columbia, South Carolina, pleaded guilty today to owning guns while using illegal drugs, according to the State newspaper.
Randy Scott, who was the police chief from 2011 - 2013 faces ten years in prison. In July of 2018, in a search for another man facing criminal charges, police were led to Scott’s home where they uncovered methamphetamines, cocaine, and guns.
Investigators say from November 2017 up to last month Scott owned numerous firearms, two of which were service guns that he never returned. Witnesses and positive drug tests confirmed that Scott regularly used narcotics during that time.
In May, Scott was arrested by federal agents on a gun charge. A judge let Scott out of jail on a cash bond with the condition that he not use drugs and do routine drug screenings. Court documents show that Scott failed subsequent drug tests and was ordered back to jail last month.
Scott resigned as Columbia’s top cop in 2013 saying he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after a deputy died under his watch.