ATTORNEY: ACCUSED COP HAD FAULTY MEMORY

Rodney Patrick Is Charged With First- And Second-Degree Theft

A Mobile County jury heard testimony Tuesday that characterized Rodney
Patrick as either a good cop with a bad memory and sloppy record-keeping
skills or a greedy cop who pocketed thousands of dollars in drug money.

Prosecutors contend the former police officer, who once was named officer
of the year, stole a total of $5,910 that he signed for to make undercover
drug deals and subsequent arrests.

Patrick is accused of pocketing $950; $2,000; $1,760; $700; and $500, which
resulted in two first-degree theft and three second-degree theft charges.

His attorneys, Rick Williams and John Wayne Boone, say he followed
procedure in paying confidential informants for information in order to
expose dealers, leading to numerous arrests and the confiscation of a
half-million dollars.

Money for the transactions was provided by the Mobile County Street
Enforcement Narcotics Team -- MCSENT -- the Mobile Police Department and
other area law enforcement agencies.

In the second day of the trial Tuesday, Mobile police Lt. Christon Dorsey
testified that in July 2001, he worked in the department's Internal Affairs
division and was assigned to investigate Patrick.

He said that between January 2000 to July 2001 the accused officer was
given $26,625 to pay informants and to buy drugs.

Dorsey said that in July 2001, he questioned Patrick for 12 hours about the
missing money and tape recorded the lengthy session.

Assistant District Attorney Nicki Patterson and Assistant District Attorney
Ashley Rich asked Dorsey to play segments of the tape for the jury.

In the case where Patrick is accused of stealing $2,000, the ex-officer
told Dorsey that he couldn't remember some of the critical details.

On the tape, Dorsey asked Patrick, "Rodney, did you give anybody money to
make buys in this case?"

Patrick replied, "I don't remember."

When asked by Dorsey where he got the money to pay the informant and do the
drug deal, Patrick again replied that he didn't remember.

"I can't remember if I used MCSENT or Citronelle (police) funds," Patrick said.

Under cross-examination by Boone, Dorsey said that when he pressed Patrick
for details of how the $2,000 was used, he "could not explain it or justify
it."

Dorsey said Patrick came under suspicion because he had used substantially
more money on informants and drug deals than others assigned to MCSENT and
because there were several discrepancies in the "buy slips" he filled out
to get the money.

First-degree theft is a class B felony, punishable by two to 20 years in
prison upon conviction. Second-degree theft is a Class C felony, punishable
by one to 10 years.

The trial before Circuit Judge Ferrill McRae was scheduled to resume at 9
a.m. today.