INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A former member of the Sebastian Police Departmtent has been sentenced for his illegal drug activity.
William Grimmich, 45, has been sentenced to serve one year in prison and undergo six months drug rehabilitation, according to Judge Robert Pegg’s ruling.
Grimmich served the Sebastian Police Department 25 years prior to his arrest.
Grimmich faced charges of felony grand theft, along with his prior charges of trafficking oxycodone and felony tampering or destroying evidence, according to authorities.
Feb. 18, 12:22 p.m.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A former member of the Sebastian Police Department has another charge added to his illegal drug activity, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
William Grimmich, 45, faces a charge of felony grand theft, along with his prior charges of trafficking oxycodone and felony tampering or destroying evidence, according to authorities.
He is being held at the Indian River County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond.
Sept. 17, 3:19 p.m.
SEBASTIAN — Shortly before 3 last Saturday afternoon, an undercover officer from Martin County handed Sebastian Police Department Sgt. William Grimmich a plastic bag containing six orange pharmacy bottles containing various drugs. Those drugs included oxycodone.
The undercover detective gave Sgt. Grimmich his cover story – that he had the drugs because he had gone through his recently deceased sister’s home and found them.
He told the sergeant he was visiting from New York and just wanted the drugs disposed of and asked to keep his sister’s name out of it.
Sgt. Grimmich, a 25-year veteran of the Sebastian Police Department, agreed to not use the sister’s name and he took the bag of pills from the undercover detective, according to the arrest report.
The sergeant then left the police station with the plastic bag of pills, got into his patrol vehicle and then drove to Sebastian River Middle School.
Authorities followed Sgt. Grimmich.
Sgt. Grimmich remained at the school until shortly after 5 p.m. when he headed back to the police station, according to the report, where he completed a Found Property report on the pills the undercover detective had given him.
He then placed a paper bag into evidence where it was processed.
An evidence technician and a deputy from Martin County reviewed the contents of the evidence bag, and discovered 116 oxycodone pills missing, the report states.
By that time, Sgt. Grimmich ended his shift for what was to be a seven-day holiday. But instead of taking his vacation, Sgt. Grimmich was placed under arrest by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
A search of the 45-year-old Grimmich upon arrest yielded a plastic bag, which he initially said just contained loose change, the report states.
The arresting sergeant removed the bag and found it contained 115 oxycodone pills – with one missing.
Grimmich, according to the report, then said, “That’s evidence, I forgot to put it away.”
Upon questioning, Grimmich told investigators that he was going to count the pills and then return them to evidence, the report states. But when authorities told him the undercover operation was part of a larger investigation, Grimmich requested an attorney.
He faces charges of trafficking oxycodone and felony tampering or destroying evidence. He is currently being held at the Indian River County Jail on $150,000 bond.
The investigation into Grimmich was requested by Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris, according to a press release put out by the department.
The sergeant has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending a decision on formal criminal charges by the local prosecutor’s office.
A subsequent internal administrative investigation will also be conducted to determine any administrative action, which could include termination.
Grimmich, a 25-year veteran of the department, has served in patrol, investigations, narcotics and as a supervisor. He has also served as the supervisor of the Investigations Division in the past, but has been a Road Patrol Sergeant for the past three years.
Chief Morris said that routine accounting and auditing procedures earlier this year revealed discrepancies in submission of controlled substances placed into the evidence room.
This discovery led the chief to immediately request an independent investigation by outside agencies.
That investigation was supported by the 19th Circuit of the State Attorney’s Office led by Bruce Colton.
“I wanted an impartial investigation by an outside agency to avoid any appearance of bias,” said Chief Morris. “Our ultimate goal is to determine exactly what occurred, who was responsible and whether this was the result of an incompetent work performance or malicious criminal behavior. I will not tolerate any misconduct of this nature.
“While this situation is gravely disappointing, it shows the effectiveness of the good accountability systems we have in place,” she added.
Sebastian has been an accredited agency for over 12 years. The Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) requires meeting stringent best practice standards in law enforcement.
“We have consistently met those standards for over a decade,” Morris said in the release.
Due process rights and existing employment laws dictate agencies relieve law enforcement officers with pay until formal criminal charges are determined.