Agnel Philip

The Republic | azcentral.com

A former Phoenix police officer who pleaded guilty to stealing more than 2,000 narcotic pills that were in police custody was sentenced to nearly four years in prison by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday.

William B. McCartney, 40, will serve three years and nine months in the Department of Corrections followed by three years of probation, according to the sentence Superior Court Judge Peter Reinstein handed down Friday morning. Reinstein will recommend to the Department of Corrections that McCartney be transferred to an out-of-state prison to serve his sentence.

McCartney was arrested in 2011 after an internal audit showed that bags containing prescription painkillers, like oxycodone, that were handled by him were tampered with and replaced with over-the-counter medication.

McCartney said during the hearing that he stole the painkillers because he was addicted to them. He said his addiction stemmed from an operation on his hand that he injured while on duty.

"I know what I did was wrong, horrible and unethical," McCartney said.

McCartney and his lawyer, David Cantor, asked the judge for the minimum sentence stipulated in his plea agreement of three years due to his achievements as a police officer and his contributions to society. But prosecutor Edward Leiter asked for a five-year sentence and said other police officers need to learn from McCartney's experience.

"The message needs to be sent, frankly, to all police officers that if you engage in this type of activity … you will be appropriately punished," Leiter said.

Five or six cases were directly impacted by McCartney's theft, but no cases were dismissed, Leiter said. McCartney's actions were a direct breach of public trust, Leiter said.

Three members of McCartney's family spoke during the hearing. They said McCartney was a good man whose life spiraled out of control due to his addiction to painkillers.

"We will all continue to love, support and be here for him," his brother, Ken McCartney, said as he cried at the podium.

McCartney was extradited from Pennsylvania in July 2012 after being arrested in June. He had previously been arrested in 2011, but was released soon afterward as the case was further investigated.

McCartney had been in the Phoenix Police Department since 1999 before his 2011 arrest, according to court documents. He resigned shortly after being arrested in 2011 and moved with his family to Pennsylvania.

The defendant's family made impassioned pleas to Reinstein. They said they acknowledged the severity of the crime, but pointed to McCartney's record as a citizen and police officer.

"He has always been a generous person," Ken McCartney said.

The lead detective on the case, Theron Quass, said during the hearing that McCartney had legal ways to treat his pain and get counselling for his addiction but chose to steal the drugs instead.

"He was clearly not honest, clearly addicted to drugs," Cantor said in reply to Quass' statements.

Linda Staley, McCartney's sister, said his addiction was hidden from family members, doctors and friends. She said he has made an attempt to become clean after he realized he had a drug problem.

"I am proud, as a sister, that he is here today," Staley said in reference to him taking responsibility by pleading guilty.

Reinstein said McCartney's history as a police officer and good family man were mitigating factors in his sentencing, and he said McCartney was lucky to have his family support him. However, Reinstein also said he betrayed the trust of the people by stealing the narcotics.