DeKalb County

DeKalb officer admits to buying drugs while on duty

By Aaron Diamant
By Aaron Diamant

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County police officer is behind bars after admitting to buying drugs while on the job.

Officer Evan McWhite is behind bars at the DeKalb County Jail, busted with evidence federal agents found while investigating another former DeKalb cop in a massive gang case.

"In any profession, you're going to have individuals that are going to go off the rails," DeKalb County Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander said. "Certainly it's disappointing anytime you have a sworn police officer arrested."

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An affidavit for McWhite's arrest warrant said he admitted to buying 1 gram of cocaine for $40 while on duty and in uniform, in February, at a local Citgo parking lot, from another former DeKalb County police officer, Vancito Gumbs.

In May, federal agents arrested Gumbs in a massive gang sweep. He is currently awaiting trial on federal murder and racketeering charges.

Federal agents tipped off DeKalb police about McWhite in July after finding text messages on Gumbs' phone setting up the drug deal.%

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"When you have something like this occur, it certainly does hurt the entire agency," Alexander told Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant.

It's another hit to department morale and ongoing efforts to build trust within the community it serves. As a result

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"Not only do we take immediate action, we also share what we know with the community as well," Alexander said.

Diamant asked Alexander if he's concerned other officers may not just be buying drugs, but may be buying them from fellow officers.

"I can very confidently say to this community at this very moment we have no reason to believe others are involved," Alexander said.

Alexander told Diamant that as troubling as these cases are, he has reassured the community that the very few bad cops out there will be found and prosecuted.

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