Hanford police arrest one of their own officers on drug charges

by Elizabeth Warmerdam , May 4, 2012

HANFORD – A Hanford police officer was arrested on Thursday on allegations that he was involved in illegal activity involving the sale of narcotics.

Ernesto Servin, 30, was confronted with the charges by investigators on Thursday afternoon and immediately resigned from his position. He was then arrested by the Hanford Police Department around 4:30 p.m. He had been an officer with the department for four years.

Ernesto Servin served 4 years with the Hanford Police before his arrest

Servin was booked into Kings County Jail on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, fraud by trust, and perjury. His bail was set at $125,000. He posted it on Thursday night and was released from jail.

An intense two-day investigation conducted by the police department and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office revealed evidence that Servin had allegedly been selling drugs to several people in Hanford. During the investigation, police recovered marijuana, methamphetamine, and Oxycontin from Servin’s personal vehicle, as well as a personal firearm that was not issued by the department. Officials say he carried this gun while he made his drug sales.

Police also believe that Servin may have used his position with the Hanford Police Department to access the drugs. Police Chief Carlos Mestas said that Servin may have written narcotics reports that never got turned in, and he may have written reports that weren’t true in order to cover his illegal activity.

“This is an officer that the people here of Hanford have entrusted to enforce the laws, and then he is, in fact, breaking the law and committing these crimes,” Mestas said. “We take it very seriously.”

Mestas does not believe that any other officers in the department were involved, and called Servin a “bad egg.”

CBS47: Hanford Officer Arrested on Drug Charges

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Hanford police arrest one of their own officers on drug charges was last modified: January 11th, 2019 by admin

About Author

Elizabeth Warmerdam

Beth Warmerdam is a freelance journalist based out of Reedley. She graduated from Fresno State in 2004 with a BA in print journalism and has worked for several newspapers and magazines. In addition to writing, Beth enjoys being a stay-at-home mom, trying to keep up with her 2-year-old son, Zachary.