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Former Columbia Police Chief Faces 10 Years In Prison For Guns And Drugs

Pamela Brown/JLEP.wordpress.com

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. 

Sarafina Wright is the "All Things Considered" producer for WFAE 90.7 Charlotte’s NPR Source. Before coming to WFAE, she worked as a political correspondent for EBONY.com, staff writer at the Washington Informer and editor-in-chief of the WI Bridge in Washington, DC. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Howard University. When she's not writing professionally, Sarafina can be found blogging at www.sarafinasaid.com or hanging out with her book club, Charlotte West.