Former CHP Dispatcher, Hell's Angels Husband Arrested On Drug, Gun, Bribery Charges
VACAVILLE (CBS13) -- A California Highway Patrol dispatcher and her Hell's Angels husband are behind bars on drug, gun and bribery charges.
The couple was under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after officials said the suspect, Dennis Killough, allegedly sold stolen military equipment to an undercover officer in the spring.
Killough—a convicted felon and member of the Vallejo chapter of the Hell's Angels—is also accused of selling guns such as AR-15s to undercover agents.
Neighbors at their Vacaville apartment complex said that cops would often come calling for him.
"They constantly kept coming over and arresting the guy, and then we'd see him again and be like, 'Oh, he's back,'" one neighbor told CBS 13.
Federal investigators also believe Sarah Killough, a CHP employee since 1999, used her law enforcement role to provide information to her husband for a drug trafficking transaction with undercover agents.
The CHP confirmed to CBS13 that Sarah Killough was no longer with the department as of Dec. 9.
"It applies to many different areas of criminal enterprise where they want to get somebody on the inside," said former Sacramento County sheriff John McGinness. McGinness doesn't know about the specifics of the case, but he says it's well-known in law enforcement circles that members of groups like Hell's Angels will date female officers to get inside information.
"Appropriate safeguards are taken, but you can't watch everybody all the time," he said.
CBS13 asked the CHP what precautions they take to prevent cases like this from happening. A spokeswoman says applicants undergo a thorough background check, but unless there's probable cause, the CHP cannot and does not dig into someone's personal life.
In the end the CHP's internal investigative team helped the ATF make their case. In a statement they said they're taking these allegations of any misconduct very seriously and that they should not reflect the work of other CHP officers.
