Investigation Documents Shed More Light On Former Addyston Police Chief

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 8:09 PM

Dorian LaCourse resigned his position on March 1 after allegations that he bought and sold weapons without village council consent.

(Addyston, Oh.) – More light is being shed on the investigation into former Addyston Police Chief Dorian LaCourse.

LaCourse offered his resignation on March 1 after he was suspended without pay for several alleged violations including buying and selling weapons without village council consent.

More than 2,000 pages of information from an internal investigation were released Monday, reports FOX19-NOW.

According to the documents, LaCourse purchased 64 machine guns, totaling approximately $200,000 in 2018.

The purchases raised the eyebrows of investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives considering the small size of the Addyston Police Department. Currently, the Addyston police force is made up of one full-time officers and eight part-timers.

Investigators sent an email to LaCourse on October 22, 2018 asking about the purchases, noting that they have encountered situations in the past where letters were forged or were being provided to assist the Federal Firearms Licenses in obtaining what federal law considers non-transferable machine guns. The investigator went on to ask in the email if LaCourse was purchasing the weapons for official duty purposes and/or demonstration purposes.

Just last month, Addyston Mayor Lisa Mear wrote in a letter that LaCourse lied about the number of officers he had and created fake purchase orders to obtain the weapons.

LaCourse is also accused of turning over the weapons to third parties, who would then sell the guns. According to the report released Monday, the guns were purchased for around $2,100 and sold for up to $13,000.

FFL officials say they located some of the guns and all the bullets at the Addyston Police Department. More than 50 weapons are unaccounted for.

No formal charges have been filed against LaCourse, as the investigation is ongoing.

Addyston Police Chief Suspended Without Pay