ALD. JOHNSON-ODOM'S HUSBAND ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGES Although formal drug charges were filed Friday against the husband of a Milwaukee alderman, it may be months before it is determined whether a vice detective was improperly transferred for initiating the investigation that eventually led to the suspect's arrest. The charges filed against John Davis Odom are at the heart of allegations made by Officer Octavio Delgado in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit says Delgado was transferred by Police Chief Arthur Jones for reporting an informant's allegation that Odom was involved with cocaine. Odom, the husband of Ald. Marlene Johnson-Odom, was charged Friday with one felony count of delivery of a controlled substance, and one felony count of beingparty to the crime of delivery of a controlled substance. If convicted on both counts, Odom faces up to 30 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines. Delgado's claim that he was improperly transferred has led Milwaukee Police Association President Bradley DeBraska to seek a John Doe investigation into the matter. Jones has denied he and Odom are friends. The police chief said it was possible they attended North Division High School together 37 years ago, but that to the best of his knowledge they've had only one conversation since. He said that conversation took place in the anteroom of the Common Council chambers at City Hall. Contrary to charges by DeBraska that the Odom investigation was stifled, Jones said police began investigating Odom as soon as he was made aware of the drug suspicions. "These officers were given the assignment on the day that I became knowledgeable of (the man's suspected) involvement," Jones said. "That day I assigned other officers - other than Officer Delgado - to investigate this matter." Jones declined to comment further on the Odom investigation. Sources within the Milwaukee Police Department say that DeBraska may not have known about the other investigation into Odom's activities because the officers who pursued the matter were part of a local-state-federal drug task force. That investigation, the sources said, was not open to members of the department's Vice Control Division. The same sources suggested that Delgado may have been transferred for divulging to the informant who made the drug allegations against Odom where information that led to the informant's arrest originated, a violation of police department policy. Through a receptionist who answered the telephone Friday afternoon at the Milwaukee Police Association's offices, 1840 N. Farwell Ave., DeBraska said that he was unable to talk about Odom's case as a result of a gag order. That order was placed on all information and people directly involved with the John Doe investigation request, according to DeBraska. In the criminal complaint filed against Odom, authorities charge that on Aug. 3, an undercover Milwaukee police officer working near Odom's apartment in the 2200 block of N. King Drive was flagged down by Odom, who motioned for the officer to climb into his vehicle. Once the officer was inside Odom's car, Odom introduced her to another man and told the officer to come up to his apartment, the complaint alleges. The officer refused, the complaint says, so Odom then told the other man to give her drugs he was carrying. The man complied, the complaint says, and handed the officer plastic bags with a substance later confirmed to be cocaine. The complaint then says: Odom produced a bag full of small packages of what also was later confirmed to be cocaine and gave the officer 10 of the smaller packages in exchange for a $100 bill. A week later, the officer, still acting undercover, telephoned Odom at his home and made arrangements to meet him to purchase more cocaine, the complaint says. The officer and an undercover detective then went to Odom's apartment, where they exchanged $150 for two plastic bags containing several chunks of cocaine base, the complaint says.
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