A previous Alabama police officer has come to an agreement to plead guilty concerning a plot to frame innocent drivers by planting drugs on them in order to falsely make drug arrests, as announced by federal prosecutors on Thursday.

Michael Kilgore, aged 40, from Centre, Alabama, has been charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances, specifically methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama. Legal documents obtained by YSL News reveal that Kilgore has signed a plea deal for this charge, admitting to working with at least one known accomplice.

Kilgore initiated his dishonest actions shortly after joining the Centre Police Department in 2022. His scheme began in early January 2023 when he pulled over a vehicle and found various drugs, according to his plea agreement. He then offered the person driving the car, who has not been named in the court documents, an opportunity to evade drug charges by becoming his informant.

“The driver agreed and became a co-conspirator in Kilgore’s illicit drug-planting plan,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Kilgore was arrested in May 2023 and subsequently dismissed from the police department, according to a statement issued by the Centre Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office mentioned that a district court will designate a date for Kilgore to formally enter his guilty plea.

The federal charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, as well as a financial penalty. Prosecutors indicated that Kilgore’s willingness to accept responsibility and to plead guilty would be factored into their recommendations during sentencing.

Ex-Alabama Officer Conducted ‘Fake’ Traffic Stops

The co-conspirator suggested a female target, offering to place the illegal drugs inside her vehicle, as outlined in the plea documents. The drugs included marijuana, “enabling Kilgore to have probable cause for searching the target’s vehicle due to the marijuana odor,” according to the plea agreement.

Kilgore and his accomplice arranged for a package containing methamphetamine, oxycodone, and marijuana to be installed on a car’s undercarriage, prosecutors revealed.

On January 31, 2023, Kilgore executed a “fake traffic stop” on that vehicle and “found” the drug package that he had deliberately planted, as stated by prosecutors. He had stopped the driver, who was with a female passenger, for an alleged traffic offense and subsequently arrested both for drug possession, according to the plea agreement.

Kilgore and his co-conspirator also intended to repeat their illegal actions with another vehicle, according to prosecutors. However, after obtaining more drugs, the co-conspirator decided to dispose of the narcotics and reported the plan to an acquaintance in law enforcement, as per the plea agreement.

At the time of Kilgore’s arrest, the Centre Police Department stated that investigator Randy Mayorga had started an inquiry after receiving allegations and uncovered evidence supporting the claims. Subsequently, arrest warrants were issued for conspiracy to commit a drug distribution crime.

“We are deeply disappointed in Kilgore’s actions,” said Centre Police Chief Kirk Blankenship in a statement at that time. “There is no justification for any officer to break the law in such a manner.”

After Kilgore’s arrest, the driver who was targeted in this scheme filed a lawsuit against Kilgore for wrongful arrest, as reported by AL.com in October 2023. The driver claimed that Kilgore planted drugs in his vehicle and used a police dog from another department to locate the narcotics.