A former Memphis police officer has just been sentenced to prison, after being caught literally robbing citizens while on duty.
According to court documents, Lorenzo Couch robbed several Hispanic men in two separate incidents. Investigators said he took more than $500 in cash from the victims.
Last month, Couch was convicted on two counts of official misconduct, official oppression and theft of property. Friday, he pleaded guilty to another count of official misconduct that stemmed from a similar incident around in the same time in January of 2011.
Couch was sentenced to four years in prison. He will serve four months behind bars beginning in April, and he will then serve the next four years on probation, according to a judge’s order.
The incident happened on January 27, 2011 at a gas station.
Investigators say Couch told the two men to pull over into a darkened area of a street. He took the money from their wallets because he didn’t think they would report it.
“They had to do what I said because I was in uniform and had a gun and a badge,” Couch said in a statement read to the jury. “Because I was in control.”
On Friday, he admitted to taking $86 from another Hispanic victim during the same time period.
Lorenzo Couch joined the police department on January 10, 2010 and resigned on February 1, 2011.