MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Memphis
police officer has been charged with possessing a firearm while using cocaine.
The U.S. attorney's office says 39-year-old James Erwin told
federal agents that he used a controlled substance on Tuesday, when he took his
work-issued Sig Sauer pistol to a friend's house. Prosecutors say Erwin
acknowledged using drugs for four months.
Prosecutors also said someone told Memphis Police Department
officers that he sold cocaine base to Erwin for several years, and that he took
several of Erwin's personal items as security for Erwin's crack cocaine debt.
In a court appearance Thursday, Erwin told a magistrate
judge that he plans to hire a lawyer.
About 25 Memphis Police Department officers have been
arrested on various charges since January 2012.