- Two law enforcement officers from Florida are facing drug charges.
- One officer was charged with being an illegal user of narcotics while possessing firearms.
- The other was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Two Florida law enforcement officers who have worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration are now facing drug charges, according to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Both 44-year-old Joshua Earrey and 37-year-old James Darrell Hickox, who combine for nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience, have been charged, the district said. They were accused of buying or confiscating drugs from DEA sources or suspects and, in the case of Hickox, selling the narcotics, court documents show.
Earrey, an officer from Jacksonville who was honored as Trooper of the Year in 2009 by the Florida Highway Patrol, was charged with being an illegal user of narcotics while possessing firearms, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, the court said in a news release.
Hickox, from Callahan, about 25 miles north of Jacksonville, was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. His charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years or up to 40 years in federal prison.
The cases are being investigated by multiple agencies, including the FBI.
Both officers have been fired by their agencies, the Associated Press reported.
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What’s Joshua Earrey accused of?
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida said Earrey worked as a Florida Highway Patrol trooper for 22 years and had been a task force officer with the DEA since 2020.
According to a federal complaint, the FBI arrested him for being an unlawful user or addict of controlled substances in possession of a firearm, the district said.
Earrey is out on bond, First Coast News reported.
A confidential informant told the FBI that Earrey had been addicted to oxycodone and was buying drugs from a confidential source for the DEA, the outlet reported.
According to a criminal complaint against him, a source told the FBI Earrey was buying 7 to 10 pills at a time at $30 per pill.
According to the source, Earrey initially started using the pills because of chronic back pain. The source told authorities he was worried Earrey was addicted and told him to “slow down.”
The complaint also said Earrey received 43 legal prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone and extended-release morphine between 2018 and January 2023.
He saw a federal judge Friday and had his bond set at $50,000, First Coast News reported. The judge ordered that he seek mental health and drug addiction treatment and complete random drug tests, the outlet said.
What about James Hickox?
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida said Hickox worked at the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years. From 2014 to 2022, he was a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer.
A criminal complaint against Hickox alleges that he sold drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and a substance containing fentanyl.
Hickox and another officer stole drugs and money from suspects during police searches, a cooperating defendant arrested on drug charges told the FBI in the complaint.
Once they had taken the drugs they wanted, the defendant and his accomplice added powdery substances they bought from dietary stores to the rest of the drugs “to retain the original weight of the drug buy,” the complaint reads.
This mixture is what was later turned over to the DEA.
The defendant said he and his accomplice sold some of the drugs they took, keeping some profits but also giving some to Hickox and the unnamed officer he worked with.
Other allegations against Hickox include stealing marijuana and pills confiscated during police searches and never logging them as evidence.
Hickox was arrested Friday, appeared in federal court on Monday, and chose to return to custody, First Coast News reported.
“I was shocked, disappointed, disgusted and beyond angry when I heard the allegations against Sergeant Hickox,” Nassau Country Sheriff Bill Leeper said in a statement. “He has let down his co-workers, our community, thrown away his career, as well as embarrassed his family.”
Leeper said the office will review its policies and procedures in hopes of preventing this from happening again.
“Our profession relies heavily on trust and I will never tolerate this type of conduct at the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office,” he said.
Contributing: Associated Press
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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