Former 'Sheriff of the Year' Arrested on Drug Charges
A former top cop is now in a jail, allegedly for trying to exchange drugs for sex.
Patrick Sullivan, 68, was arrested on suspicion of trafficking methamphetamines, a controlled substance. He is being held of $250,000 bond.
The former National Sheriffs Association “2001 Sheriff of the Year” is now in a cell away from other inmates in the Arapahoe County jail that ironically bears his name, the Patrick J. Sullivan, Jr. Detention Facility, according to KUSA.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The investigation into the former peace officer started in the beginning of November when informants contacted police and tipped them off to the illegal activities of Sullivan. During the investigation, authorities claim Sullivan agreed to meet a male informant and provide him with drugs in exchange for sex.
During visual surveillance in the investigation, Sullivan was about to trade the illegal drugs and that is when investigators and members of the South Metro Drug Task Force arrested him.
Grayson Robinson, the current Arapahoe County sheriff, contacted by CBS4 and said, “The allegations of criminal behavior involving Pat Sullivan are extraordinarily disturbing. While the arrest of the former sheriff is very troubling, no one, and particularly a former peace officer, is above the law. This is the most shocking thing I’ve ever been involved with.”
According to public records, in 2007 and 2008 Sullivan was an active participant in state and local methamphetamine task forces, helping craft a state plan to deal with the scourge of methamphetamine.
“This is a very sad time for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and our community,” Robinson added.
Sullivan served in law enforcement for 40 years, beginning in 1962 as a Littleton police officer and dispatcher. He joined the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office in 1979 as a captain and patrol division commander. Sullivan was named undersheriff in 1983 and then six months later was appointed to sheriff.
The National Association of School Resource Officers gave Sullivan a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
At the time, the Executive Director of NASRO Curtis Lavarello, said of Sullivan: “You are not only committed to the SRO concept, but have truly spent your entire career making every effort to keep children safe” according to CBS4 in Denver.
