12 Dec 2013
While most arrests involve people whom law enforcement officials refer to as “civilians,” that is, non-law enforcement personnel, there are times when a police operation leads to charges against one of their own.
An announcement was made last week by the commander of the Stop the Offender Program (STOP) special crimes unit that a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety has been arrested in Cleburne and charged with possession of methamphetamine.
According to an article in the Cleburne Times-Review, the DPS employee, Jimmy Jay Gillman, was arrested after an ongoing narcotics investigation by the Burleson Police Department disclosed information that allegedly implicated Gillman. That information was turned over to STOP, which began an investigation into the situation. The investigation included covert surveillance by STOP and by the Texas Rangers.
The arrest took place in the front yard of Gillman’s home, after police say they observed Gillman taking possession of illegal drugs. He was off duty at the time, and police say he had about six grams of methamphetamine on him when he was arrested. They also claim they found additional drugs and drug paraphernalia in Gillman’s home after a search of the premises, although this apparently has not resulted in any additional charges, at least to this point. Thus far he is charged only with possession of the six grams of methamphetamine.
For purposes of the criminal law, meth is a drug that is in penalty group 1, the group that also includes drugs such as cocaine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, opium, and PCP, among others. It carries the most severe penalties, and those penalties are affected by the amount of the drug possessed. In the case of methamphetamine (and other Penalty Group 1 drugs), possession of any quantity of the drug is a felony, and if the amount is at least four grams, but less than 200 grams, the offense is a second degree felony. Even if no additional charges are filed against Gillman, the pending charge carries a potential prison sentence, in the event of a conviction, of between two and twenty years.
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Austin, TX 78701
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