Former Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff's Department Plead Guilty to Marijuana Trafficking

Former Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department Plead Guilty to Marijuana Trafficking

FRESNO — Two former Kern County Sheriff’s Deputies plead guilty to trafficking marijuana on Monday. Former deputies Logan August, 30, of Bakersfield, and Derrick Penney, 34, of Star Idaho pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana in a Federal Courtroom.

Court documents said that between June 2014 and October 2014, while working for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), August and Penny conspired with former Bakersfield Police Detective Patrick Mara to steal marijuana from the KCSO storage until to sell for personal gain. The marijuana in the storage was seized during investigations into marijuana grows on both public and private land. August and Penny trimmed the marijuana into around 8 pounds of saleable marijuana. The drugs were delivered to a confidential informant so that he could sell it. August received a portion of the proceeds and shared with Penney and Mara, with each of the three receiving around $1200 from this sale.

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Also, during approximately 10 instances between March 2014 and December 2014, while working with the KCSO Major Vendor Narcotics Unit during eradication operations August conspired with a former information to take the plants and process the marijuana from these eradication operations. The marijuana was again sold for the unlawful personal gain. Around 25 pounds of usable marijuana taken from these operations were sold yielding August $15,000. Both August and Penney have agreed to forfeit the proceeds from the illegal marijuana trafficking.

August and Penney will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison plus a $250,000 fine. Both will appear back in court on August 7, 2017, to learn their fate. Department of Justice officials said that the sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court. In making the decision they will consider any application statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.