Cop Faces Drug Rap

FLINT OFFICER DISCOVERED WITH MARIJUANA IN NOVEMBER

FLINT - A former Flint police officer will be in court today on
charges he was found with packaged marijuana just two months after he
was acquitted of pistol-whipping an 11-year-old boy.

Lawrence E. Thomas was arrested in November after a search by Flint
officers turned up packaged marijuana.

Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch said at the time police
found a large quantity of marijuana packaged to sell.

Thomas was fired by the city in December but was not arraigned until
Friday. It was unclear why there was an 8-month delay between his
arrest and arraignment on charges of marijuana delivery, possession
with intent to deliver marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon,
maintaining a drug vehicle and felony firearm possession.

"I don't want anybody to think we don't take these situations
seriously. It hurts all of us. It hurts me and everyone else in the
department," said Flint Police Chief Gary Hagler.

Thomas deserves the same presumption of innocence in the court process
as anyone else, Hagler said.

A Genesee Circuit Court jury cleared Thomas in September of charges he
struck a boy in the head with a pistol after the boy allegedly threw a
snowball at his car.

The 12-year police veteran said he may have accidentally struck the
boy but denied threatening him.