Former Sergeant Wayne Jenkins is accused of planting heroin on a suspect involved in a 2010 police chase and deadly crash.
On Thursday, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Jenkins set up then-Officer Sean Suiter by directing him to search the car and find the drugs. “What this indictment outlines in great detail, is the fact that Sean Suiter was not involved – in any criminal misconduct whatsoever”, said Davis. “[Detective Suiter] was used and he was put in a position where he unwittingly recovered drugs that had planted by a other police officer, and that’s a damn shame. That really is.”
Suiter was due to testify before a federal grand jury in the police corruption case the day after the 18 year veteran of the Baltimore police force was shot and killed two weeks ago. Prosecutors are asking that the federal drug convictions of two suspects in case be vacated.
As for Jenkins, the new indictment handed down by a federal grand jury charges him with destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal Investigations and deprivation of rights under color of law. Jenkins is presently awaiting trial on January 16, 2018 on criminal racketeering and fraud charges. Jenkins, who remains jailed, now faces an additional sentence of 20 years in prison for the additional charges.