TBI Arrests THP Trooper And Suspected Drug Dealer Following 6-Month Investigation

  • Friday, June 19, 2015
Mark D. Williams
Mark D. Williams

Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Drug Investigation Division have arrested a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper accused of buying illegal narcotics while on duty.

At the request of 25th District Attorney General Mike Dunavant, TBI special agents began investigating Mark D. Williams in early 2015.

On Friday, as part of the ongoing investigation, agents observed Williams buy hydrocodone from an alleged dealer, Elliott Goode, while in uniform and on duty.

Agents arrested Williams and charged the 47-year-old with delivery of a schedule II controlled substance and possession of a weapon during a dangerous felony.

Additionally, authorities arrested Goode, 64, and charged him with one count of delivery of a schedule II controlled substance.

Both men were booked into the Lauderdale County Jail, where Williams was being held on $10,000 bond and Goode was being held on $7,500 bond.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials have placed Williams on discretionary leave with pay, effective immediately, pending an ongoing criminal investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and an internal investigation by the department’s Inspectional Services Bureau.

All departmental equipment including weapons, badges and commission card were secured following the arrest and pending the investigations

“We have cooperated fully with the TBI on this investigation and acted quickly to take immediate administrative action,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “While disheartening, the alleged actions of this one trooper are not representative of the THP as a whole.”

“We expect more of our state troopers and are disappointed in this situation. The allegations will be investigated thoroughly by TBI and internally, and we will take the appropriate action based on the outcome,” THP Colonel Trott said. 

Williams, 47, was assigned to Lauderdale County of the THP’s Memphis District. He began his career with the Highway Patrol in January 2004.

 

 

Elliott Goode
Elliott Goode
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