Deputy Zachary Wester found guilty of planting drugs at traffic stops.. guy lost custody of kid

[Demovictory9]

A Florida ex-cop was convicted Tuesday of planting drugs at three different traffic stops.

Zachary Wester, 28, was found guilty on 19 of 67 counts, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. He had been charged with planting drugs at 12 different stops but was only convicted in connection to three.

Wester was a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office from 2016 until 2018, when he was fired amid the drug-planting investigation. Prosecutors dropped 119 cases in the panhandle county after his 2019 arrest.

A jury convicted Wester in the cases of Teresa Odom, Joshua Emanuel and Steven Vann, according to the Democrat. During Odom’s arrest, Wester was seen on body-cam footage carrying a baggie to her truck.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-florida-cop-convicted-planting-drugs-zachary-wester-20210518-r6yfwt6vaffw5prfvwddyobyku-story.html


Wester was suspended in 2018, and cops found drugs and paraphernalia packaged in his patrol car while investigating, the Democrat reported. Wester claimed he found the drugs hours before his suspension, but prosecutors noted he didn’t report the score.



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The state presented a dozen people as victims. One of them, Benjamin Bowling, lost custody of his daughter because the defendant arrested him, authorities said. Body cam footage in one instance showed Wester palming an item–meth–while beginning to search the vehicle of another victim Teresa Odom, authorities said.

Wester was only convicted on three of the cases: Odom’s, that of Steven Vann, and that of Joshua Emmanuel. Guilty counts covered charges of racketeering, official misconduct, perjury, fabricating evidence, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and false imprisonment.


https://lawandcrime.com/live-trials/live-trials-current/zachary-wester/fired-deputy-zachary-wester-guilty-of-planting-drugs-on-people-during-traffic-stops-but-only-in-3-cases/
Lead prosecutor Tom Williams suggested at trial that Wester targeted specific people to plant drugs on, according to the Democrat.

[SergeStorms]

1. Another white trash fascist cop.

Multiply this guy times the number of police departments nationwide, and you'll see the problem anyone who doesn't look like him faces.

I hope they throw the book at him, but I doubt it. He'll move to another county and they'll hire him straight away.

[diverdownjt]

2. You got that right...

They shuffle bad cop's around as long as they can till the music stop's and one of them has to go.
Probably the only good cop, 'cause he can't live with this shit anymore.

[oasis]

3. "Wester targeted specific people to plant drugs on"

[calimary]

4. Schmuck!

[magicarpet]

5. This is what happens when you put power and authority in the hands of Fascists,...

... they always over play their hand because the authority vested in them always goes to their heads. Oppression of the other is their blood lust and reason of being, and that which primarily defines them.

[marie999]

6. Anyone who he arrested and was convicted needs a new trial without any evidence he reported.

[Demovictory9]

7. convictions need to be thrown out. that's what they did with that other cop who was recently caught

setting people up. Just looking through his arrest and throwing out the conviction. No new trial needed.