FORMER ZANESVILLE COP TO REMAIN IN JAIL UNTIL MARCH
TRIAL

COLUMBUS - A former Zanesville police officer has to stay in jail
until his trial in March, a federal judge ruled Tuesday because of
the severity of the charges.

Sean Beck, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 25 on six
federal charges - two counts of drug trafficking in Percocet, three
counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a drug
trafficking crime and one count of conspiracy to traffic drugs.

On Friday Beck was in Judge Terrance Kemp's court asking to be
allowed out of the Franklin County Jail on bond to await his trial.
According to Kemp's ruling, he took into consideration that the
charges had risen out of a pattern of criminal activity involving the
seizure of drugs and re-distribution of those drugs from suspected
drug traffickers in the Zanesville area and a plan to obtain
additional drugs by stealing them from a drug supplier.

Beck was "armed during many, if not all, of these transactions," Kemp
stated. "Both the drug charges and the firearms charges in the
indictment carry a presumption that the defendant is both a danger to
the community and a flight risk."

The U.S. Attorney's Office is pleased with the ruling, according to
spokesperson Fred Alverson.

"Now we'll move through the pretrial process and prepare for trial in
March," Alverson said.

Beck's defense attorney, J. Scott Weisman, told Kemp on Friday that
his client was in no position to flee and has strong family support.

Weisman could not be reached for comment on the ruling.

Kemp decided that the case against Beck is "strong and he engaged in
multiple acts inconsistent with his position as a sworn police officer."

The Pretrial Service Report, which recommended release of Beck, was
generally favorable and stated that Beck had a good employment
history with the police department, substantial ties to the central
Ohio area, and he lacked a criminal record. But Kemp felt the
multiple charges, the strength of the evidence and the amount of time
Beck faces if convicted, outweighed the recommendation.

"This case does involve both narcotics and weapons," Kemp wrote. "The
misuse of authority and disregard for the law demonstrated by a sworn
police officer are very troubling and are an indication that the
defendant would not be likely to abide by conditions of release if
they were set in this case."

Kemp also took into consideration taped conversations Be