Why was the Shawnee police officer arrested? Charges against Officer Gary Moore explored

A former Shawnee police officer, Gary Moore, was taken into custody after he was accused of selling drugs on Friday, November 10, 2023. According to a press release given by the Shawnee Police Department, Moore was fired from the department after allegations against him were brought to light. Cops added that the 50-year-old former police officer was taken into custody at Brickhouse Saloon in downtown Shawnee.

Fox23 News reported that Shawnee PD was "working closely" with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's office and the District Attorney's office to look at the allegations against Moore. However, the police didn't confirm how long Moore may have been involved in the alleged criminal activity. Authorities also didn't state what led to the arrest of Moore and how long they had been investigating the matter.

Gary Moore has currently been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute. Court records show that Moore is being held without bail.

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Shawnee police officer, Gary Moore, has been accused of selling drugs leading to his arrest at a bar

An officer from Shawnee, Oklahoma, Gary Moore, was taken into custody on Friday, November 10, 2023, after he was accused of selling drugs. Moore was arrested while he was in a bar, and was charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute. Soon after he was arrested, Moore was fired from the Shawnee PD, where he had reportedly been working for quite some time.

Pottawatomie County Sheriff Travis Dinwiddie stated that an investigation was conducted to look into the matter, before Moore's arrest. As mentioned earlier, multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation. These included the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, apart from the Shawnee Police Department.

Speaking about the investigation and the arrest, Sheriff Dinwiddie said that they arrested Moore for distribution.

Authorities stated that the owner of the bar was possibly not involved in the entire incident, and thus, wasn't taken into custody.

"The Shawnee Police Department has been working closely with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of criminal activity of an officer," a statement by the Shawnee PD read.

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Gary Moore's court appearance has been set for next week

Shortly after the arrest, Moore was booked into Pottawatomie County Safety Center. The owner of the bar, where Moore was arrested, was identified as Karla Jennings. She told KFOR that she wasn't present on the premises when the arrest took place, and had no idea what was happening.

Officials from the Shawnee Police Department spoke about the arrested officer and the allegations against him.

"The Shawnee Police Department requires officers to abide by a high ethical and moral standard that is consistent with the rule of law they are sworn to uphold," they said.

The allegations based on which Moore was arrested, were not revealed immediately but they were a part of the statement released by the Shawnee PD.

"Moore was booked into the Pottawatomie County Safety Center. Moore has been terminated from his employment with the Shawnee Police Department," the statement added.

Upon being asked for details about the case, Dinwiddie said that the investigation had been going on for a while. Moore's court appearance has been scheduled for Monday, November 13, 2023, at about 10:30 am local time.