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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Officer Had Sex, Drugs With Fugitive, Reports Say Meehan Carried Crack Pipe In Uniform, Woman Told Police

Former police officer Mark Meehan had sex with a woman he knew was a fugitive and smoked “crack” cocaine, according to court documents.

The woman told detectives Meehan carried his crack pipe - fashioned from the fat end of a car antennae - in the shirt pocket of his uniform.

Police Chief Terry Mangan fired Meehan last week. The 31-year-old patrolman had served four years on the force, most recently on the graveyard shift.

Meehan faces three misdemeanor charges for trying to keep the woman from being arrested. He has not been jailed and no trial date has been set.

Investigators say he wrote a false police report and lied to fellow officers to protect 30-year-old Laice Peterson of Spokane.

His attorney, Carl Oreskovich, said Meehan denies the charges and wants to go to trial to clear his name.

Meehan got into trouble this spring when Peterson, who was being interviewed on an unrelated criminal matter, told detectives about his behavior, District Court documents state.

Peterson told investigators Meehan smoked crack with her at least three times this spring and had sex with her nearly 10 times, sometimes while on duty.

“Meehan implied to her that crack cocaine, which he encounters during the normal course of his police duties, does not always have to end up on the property or evidence logs,” detectives say in an affidavit requesting permission to search Meehan’s locker.

Investigators seized several of Meehan’s notebooks during the Sept. 3 search.

Detectives say Peterson passed a polygraph test. She has a history of felony convictions and is charged with possession of stolen property.

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