Officer Steals Marijuana from Suspects

Edward Sanchez, once the captain of his Dearborn Heights police department, has not been charged with the crime of stealing and consuming marijuana from criminal suspects.

The department investigation began when a 911 call was placed from Edward Sanchez's home in Dearborn Heights on the night of April 21, 2006. A frightened Sanchez reported to an emergency dispatcher that his wife and he consumed marijuana brownies and thought they were overdosing. The catch was that the marijuana once belonged to criminals that Sanchez himself would arrest.

In the 5 minutes long recorded 911 conversation, Edward Sanchez sounded panicked. "I think we're dying," said Sanchez. "We made brownies and I think we're dead, I really do."

Edward Sanchez continued to explain to the emergency dispatcher that he had never made marijuana brownies before, but previously used marijuana.

EMS took both Sanchez and his wife to the hospital where they were released the next morning.

Later on, while being questioned by police investigators, Edward Sanchez blamed his wife, saying that she took the marijuana out of his police vehicle while he was asleep. His wife backed up his claim by saying that he tricked her into eating the marijuana laced brownie. Yet, after being questioned and interviewed repeatedly, Edward Sanchez admitted that he took the marijuana out of his vehicle, put it in the brownie batter, and willingly consumed the brownies. He also stated that he took the marijuana “off the street from unknown persons.

Hid wife also confessed that on another occasion, she removed cocaine, which is used to train police dogs, from her husband's vehicle, and went on a weekend binge. She was not charged for the crime either.

The decision to not charge Edward Sanchez and his wife has upset a great number of people, which includes Dearborn Councilman Dough Thomas, who says the department's decision sends the wrong message to the public. Thomas promises that he will investigate and compares the situation to a cop who catches a bank robber and keeps some of the money for him/herself.