By Michael Stavola
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — Four people — including three former Sedgwick County deputies who worked at the jail — have been charged with felonies in a case involving steroids, records show.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office announced in February 2020 that eight deputies had been suspended with pay after being suspected of selling steroids to each other and using the illegal drug.
A big part of the two-plus year delay was COVID, according to a Sedgwick County District Court spokesperson. Courts closed as the pandemic surged, causing many nonviolent crimes to be put on the back burner.
Former deputy Joshua Simonis, 30, was charged with one count of communication facility used for drug sales or purchases as well as a count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Court records in the latter charge say he had “less than 10 dosage units ... 3 vials of Testosterone Cypionate and 1 vial of Decanoate.” A communication facility can be a phone, according to state law.
Dallas Michael Hutchinson, 42, former Corporal Mario A. Ouellet, 41, and former deputy Tyler C. Broomes, 29, also were charged with one count of communication facility used for drug sales or purchases, according to court records. Hutchinson did not work in the department.
All were charged on March 9 and have a court date on March 31.
Broomes is the only one who has a lawyer, according to court records. His attorney did not immediately respond to a call from The Eagle.
Sheriff Jeff Easter said in February 2020 that the eight deputies suspended included two corporals, who worked in booking inmates, and six jail deputies. A search warrant at a residence turned up steroids in liquid and pill form, Easter said during the news conference.
Records show Hutchinson is accused of a crime that happened between July 2018 and January 2020.
Ouellet had been with the department from 2003 to January 2018 and then again from May 2018 to December 2020. Ouellet’s charge says he is accused of a crime that occurred between Sept. 8, 2017, and Feb. 17, 2020.
Broomes had been with the department from 2012 to March 2020, records show. Court records show he is accused of a crime that happened between the same dates as Ouellet.
Simonis’ drug charge allegedly happened Feb. 11, 2020, which was the day before the sheriff’s office held a news conference. He also is accused of a crime between October 2019 and February 2020, court records show.
Of the other five deputies who were suspended, only a 27-year-old woman still works for the department, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.
(c)2022 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)