Officer

Ex-Philadelphia Police Officer Gets 6-Month Sentence for Extorting Pills

A former Philadelphia police officer was sentenced to serve six months in federal prison for extorting what he believed were prescription painkillers from a suspected drug dealer.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports 31-year-old Thomas Vitanovitz was also sentenced Tuesday to two years' supervised release. The married father of three will serve the first three months of his release under home confinement.

Federal prosecutors say Vitanovitz was on duty on July 21, 2015 when he took 50 pills from a suspected drug dealer that he thought was OxyContin.

Unaware that the pills were actually placebos, Vitanovitz took one while he was still working that day.

Vitanovitz said in June that he became an addict following two surgeries stemming from on-the-job injuries. The 10-year force veteran said his arrest saved his life.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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