EX-DALLAS SHERIFF'S DEPUTY GETS 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

DALLAS -- A U.S. district judge sentenced a former Dallas sheriff's
deputy to 15 years in federal prison on Friday for his role in a
cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

Standric Choice, 36, pleaded guilty in March to drug and firearm
charges, according to the U.S. attorney's office. An eight-year
period of supervised release will follow Choice's prison term, a news
release said.

A criminal complaint accused Choice and two co-defendants of conspiring to
steal cocaine from a dealer. Choice planned to seize the cocaine by
faking the arrest of an informant, the complaint said. Choice and
co-defendants [name redacted], 29, and [name redacted], 31, were arrested
in January after the scheme failed.

Investigators said [name redacted] met with an informant he believed to be a
drug dealer. They discussed stealing four kilograms of cocaine from a
South Texas drug dealer when he came to Dallas. The drug dealer was
actually an undercover police officer and Irving police supplied the
cocaine.

On Jan. 9, the informant and an undercover agent posing as a drug
supplier met at the truck stop, according to court documents. Choice
then showed up in his squad car, pretended to arrest the informant,
confiscated the drugs and released the undercover agent, the
complaint stated.

Choice was arrested when he returned to the Sheriff's Department. The
other two men were also arrested.

- -- From staff reports with material from the Star-Telegram archives