A former Concord police officer
accused of stealing prescription drugs from elderly residents to satisfy his
own addiction was convicted today and sentenced to 2.5 years in jail with the
option to serve part of his sentence in a locked-down treatment facility.
Matthew Switzer, 38, pleaded no
contest in a Martinez courtroom to two
counts of first-degree burglary, one count of second-degree burglary, one count
of fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs and one count of elder abuse,
according to prosecutors.
"The sentence is a
recognition that this is a serious offense committed by a peace officer,
however it balances the need to potentially rehabilitate him and the
opportunity for rehabilitation is part of the sentence," said Contra Costa
County Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove.
"If he takes of advantage
of that, hopefully he can be rehabilitated, and if he doesn't he'll have a long
stay in county jail and we'll probably be seeing him again," he said.
Switzer made a brief apology to
the court and to the victims in the case during his court appearance today.
He has been in custody at the
county jail in Martinez since he turned himself in on the charges in early
April and immediately resigned from his post as a K-9 officer with the Concord
Police Department.
Concord police Chief Guy
Swanger alerted the district attorney's office after getting a tip from a
resident in February about Switzer's crimes.
Prosecutors said the defendant
used his position as a police officer to enter the homes of several seniors in
Concord and steal a powerful prescription drug called Norco.
He also obtained medication
using multiple phony prescriptions, according to Grove. Harry Stern, Switzer's
attorney, has said that his client developed a prescription drug addiction
after using the medication to cope with an undisclosed injury and to ease his
PTSD.
Stern said his client has a
good reputation in the community and family members who he said have rallied to
support Switzer since his arrest.
