MPD officer, 2 others arrested on drug charges

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - A Montgomery police officer has been arrested for her alleged involvement with distributing illegal drugs, the police department confirmed Wednesday.

According to MPD Capt. Regina Duckett, officer Amanda Millwood, 38, is charged with two counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Two additional suspects, Constance Millwood, 34, and Beverlee Gardner, 36, were also arrested in connection to the case.

Constance Millwood was charged with two charges of unlawful distribution, and Gardner was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Duckett says the department opened an investigation after receiving a report that an MPD officer was involved with controlled and illegal drugs. All three suspects were taken into custody late Tuesday.

Public Safety Director Chris Murphy says at this point in the investigation, the alleged crimes happened while Officer Millwood was off-duty but that won't make her punishment any less severe.

"What you do on-duty and off-duty matters and this is a good case of off-duty matters," Murphy said. "A lot of public trust is put into us and we work very hard to earn that trust and to maintain that trust. And so, when one individual goes out from it, that is unsettling for all of us."

Court documents identify the controlled substance as heroin. Documents also say Amanda Millwood was found to be in possession of an undisclosed amount of U.S currency used by the city of Montgomery during a controlled drug buy.

"The off-duty conduct of police officers must reflect their on-duty responsibilities," MPD Chief Ernest Finley said. "We will not tolerate Illegal activity on the part of our officers, and last night's arrest makes that clear."

Millwood's arrest is just one of several arrests of MPD officers in recent years.

Murphy says it's important not to let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.

"When you have 500 and something sworn officers, they're all human. They have human frailties and things happen. And you can't always control that. But you can control what happens when they step out of the line. When we find out about it, we're going to take decisive action," Murphy said.

Amanda Millwood has been employed with the department for nine years. MPD immediately placed her on mandatory leave and initiated disciplinary action.

"This has been turned over to the DA's office and we're working with the DA's office to followup there. But in addition to that, Chief Finley has begun today the initiation of the administrative process to terminate."

All three were transported to the Montgomery County Detention Center. Both Amanda Millwood and Constance Millwood were placed under a $10,000 bond each. Beverlee Gardner was placed under a $1,500 bond.

Duckett says the investigation is continuing, and no additional information is available for public release.

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