Former Springfield police officer Clayton Hadley was indicted Sept. 18 on drug charges after sheriff's deputies allegedly found illicit drugs and more than $5,000 in cash in his home.
Hadley's three-year law enforcement career began to unravel July 23 when the Springfield Police Department's brass received an anonymous tip that Hadley was allegedly using marijuana. Although pot is legal in Illinois, the police department's policy prohibits officers from imbibing, Chief Ken Scarlette said.
"On July 23, we received an anonymous complaint in reference to marijuana usage by one of our sworn officers that same day. Springfield Police Department completed just cause paperwork for drug testing on Mr. Hadley," Scarlette told Illinois Times.
When the preliminary test came back positive, Hadley was put on paid administrative leave that same day, he said.
On that same day, police were called to Hadley's home regarding a domestic disturbance. When responding officers learned it was the residence of a fellow officer, they asked the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department to handle the matter.
"The female resident consented to a search of the residence and allowed the deputies to remove the firearms that were inside," interim Sangamon County Sheriff Jim Allmon said. "When they were collecting the firearms, they located a large quantity of suspected cannabis and U.S. currency. Deputies applied for a search warrant after finding illegal narcotics during the search of the residence. Numerous vials of suspected testosterone, approximately $5,000 in cash and approximately 51 ounces, or 3 pounds, of cannabis were removed from the residence and taken into evidence," he said
The results of the investigation were recently forwarded to Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser.
"Milhiser's office was waiting for the reports and they were waiting to dump the (data from Hadley's) cellphone," Allmon said.
A Sangamon County Grand Jury indicted Hadley Sept. 18 for possession of cannabis, a felony, and for possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. Milhiser said the misdemeanor charge relates to the steroids allegedly recovered during the search.
Following the domestic disturbance call, Hadley spent several days in a local hospital, Scarlette said. The reason for his admission was not disclosed.
Scarlette said the hospital admission delayed the department serving Hadley with paperwork notifying him that SPD would seek his dismissal.
"We had no access to him until Aug. 2. That's when we intended to serve him. ... (But) he indicated through his union president that he was resigning," he said.
During the investigation, it was determined that Hadley's Firearm Owner's Identification card was suspended last year and never reinstated. The FOID suspension stems from a temporary order of protection issued against Hadley by a Menard County judge.
Illinois law requires FOID card suspensions for anyone who is the subject of an order of protection.
The order of protection alleges that on Oct. 13, 2023, Hadley shoved his former girlfriend, who is the mother of his child. The order was in place from Oct. 16 through Oct. 30, but it was not made permanent.
Scarlette said his department was aware of the order of protection and assigned Hadley to restricted duty – without a gun or badge – during the period it was in place. When the order of protection expired, he returned to his normal duties, the chief said.
However, no one within the department's leadership was aware that Hadley's FOID card remained under suspension, Scarlette said. In fact, he said it was not until a reporter inquired about the suspension that inquiries of the Illinois State Police were made and he learned that the FOID was indeed suspended.
Illinois law does not require police officers to have FOID cards to carry firearms while they are working.
"If you had a secondary weapon, a backup weapon, or if you just own shotguns or whatnot, obviously you'd have to have a FOID card, but FOID cards are not mandated in the state of Illinois for law enforcement officers," Scarlette said.
He said Hadley apparently never took action to have his FOID card reinstated after it was automatically suspended due to the temporary order of protection being issued against him.
Scarlette said he is encouraged that an officer within the department chose to make the anonymous tip concerning Hadley's alleged drug use.
Hadley did not immediately respond to a request for comment from IT.
Scarlette said the state of Illinois has been contacted regarding the matter and efforts are being made to decertify Hadley as a police officer.
"We certainly did our due diligence on our end, to say, 'I don't want this guy to ever be a cop anywhere again.'"
