It sounds like a story straight out of the movies. A high-ranking police officer of impeccable reputation, a saga of greed and abuse of power, cryptic code languages, the thrill of sting operations, and the race to blow the lid of a corruption racket.
The Federal authorities have brought charges against Michael Dean “Fireball” Roberts for the distribution of illegal substances. A top cop and the pride of Marion since 2000, Roberts, aged 54, was a member of the Smyth County Board of Supervisors from January 1996 through 2009. He is suspected of stealing drugs from the evidence room of the police department.
These charges, made in the U.S. District Court in Abingdon, have been supported by affidavits of confidential informants along with audio and video footage captured with the help of hidden microphones and video equipment. In his role as a Police Chief, Roberts was entrusted with the responsibility of destroying drugs seized during raids and as such had access to a wide variety of drugs. Agent Jonathan Tabor of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives mentioned that among the drugs supplied by Roberts were Roxicet, Percocet, Xanax pills, Lortab, marijuana and even cocaine.
According to the informant, there were times when Roberts would bring pills that were new and unknown. In order to identify them, they would use a book, described by the informant as the ‘Drug Identification Bible’. Those that were discovered to be narcotics would be kept aside for future use. The non-narcotic pills would be discarded or flushed down the toilet. Video footage also shows Roberts giving a couple of pills (which were later identified to be hydrocodone pills) to the informant while he himself can be seen crushing and snorting one pill.
Following these charges, the town of Marion has fired Roberts from his position of Marion’s Police Chief immediately. He is currently out on bond.
