BIRMINGHAM—Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a former Winston County sheriff’s deputy with using his police authority to extort a woman to cook methamphetamine.
Former Deputy Grady Keith Concord, 42, of Lynn, also made her manufacture and distribute the drug at her home where she lived with a minor child, officials said.
Concord was charged with one count of extortion under color of official right, one count of manufacturing methamphetamine and one count of manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine on premises where children are present or reside, according to authorities.
Concord who was a deputy with the Winston County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to plead guilty to the charges. He is facing up to 40 years or more when he is sentenced.
As part of Concord’s plea agreement, he must surrender all law enforcement certifications and not seek future employment in law enforcement, including as a correctional or probation officer or bail bondsman.
Attorneys Richard S. Jaffe and Michael Whisonant Jr. are representing Concord, according to the AL.com
“Keith deeply regrets becoming addicted to methamphetamine, and further breaking the law to obtain the substance, rather than seeking medical treatment” Jaffe said. “Keith in no way blames anyone or anything but himself for violating his oath as a law enforcement officer, and embarrassing his department and his family. His agreement to plead guilty and accept full responsibility is a positive first step toward recovery.”
Court documents spell out the facts and circumstances surrounding this case:
- Concord, who lived in the town of Nauvoo, pressured her to manufacture methamphetamine for him.
- Concord was a methamphetamine user and arranged to supply the woman with pseudoephedrine, a necessary ingredient of the illegal drug, in exchange for a portion of the finished product.
- The deputy disputes the woman’s claim that he threatened her with an arrest warrant unless she agreed to the arrangement. However, he said that because he was a sheriff’s deputy, she may have felt that she “had no choice but to accept his offer,” his plea agreement states.
- On several occasions between July 2013 through June 2014, Concord delivered pseudoephedrine to the woman’s home, where she manufactured the methamphetamine, and where he picked up the illegal drug, according to his plea agreement.
- Concord obtained decongestant pills containing pseudoephedrine from the sheriff’s office evidence room, and he and his wife both bought the pills, the plea agreement states.
- Concord knew the woman had two sons who lived with her, and that one of them was a minor, according to the plea agreement.