COP BOOKED WITH PILL FRAUD

Defense lawyer cites 'error in judgment'

Federal agents have arrested a Harahan police officer, alleging that he
illegally obtained nearly 2,200 pain pills over a 15-month period from four
pharmacists, using prescriptions from seven doctors, authorities said.

Wiley M. Wood IV was booked last week with prescription fraud.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said Wood has not been charged with
distributing the 2,196 hydrocodone pills, but the investigation is
continuing.

"We wanted to act quickly on this because of the public-safety aspect having
a police officer obtaining this quantity of drugs," Letten said.

Wood, a six-year veteran of the department, was arrested Sept. 12 after
being called in to a meeting at police headquarters and was released on his
own recognizance, which is normal for this kind of case, Letten said.

Wood's attorney, Vinny Mosca, said Wood used the pills for a back injury he
sustained last year.

"He was hurt in the line of duty, but made an error in judgment," Mosca
said. "He's in pain management now to get off of the narcotics. He's willing
to take responsibility for what he did, and he's certainly embarrassed by
it. The only person he hurt in this was himself. "

Harahan Police Chief Peter Dale said his department cooperated with federal
investigators, and Wood was placed on administrative leave with pay. The
department is conducting an internal investigation.

"We're trying to determine whether he was taking the pills because of his
back injury or if there was some other situation," Dale said.

In 1997, Wood was accused of improperly reselling 10 bulletproof vests
purchased with a police discount to rapper Master P.

Possession of body armor is not illegal, but it is illegal to wear it while
carrying a weapon. The sale was discovered during an investigation by the
Metropolitan Crime Commission, which determined that Wood and another
officer made $2,000 on the transaction. The discovery came after the
rapper's brother, Cory Miller, who goes by the name "C-Murder," was stopped
by police while armed and wearing one of the vests.

Though Wood was the subject of an internal investigation by then-Police
Chief John Doyle, Mosca said he thinks no action was taken against Wood at
the time.