The drugs were there.
I did not put the narcotics there.
NARRATOR: First up, we head to Jackson County, Florida,
for the trial of Zachary Wester.
The former sheriff's deputy was charged with 67 counts
of racketeering, fabricating evidence,
false imprisonment, and possession
of controlled substances.
Wester's accused of planting drugs in a dozen vehicles
during random traffic stops.
NARRATOR: All of the drivers denied owning the drugs,
but yet most were subsequently arrested.
The arrests caused suspicion internally,
and in 2018 Wester was suspended.
Three years later, the case went to trial.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
This is a case about an abuse of an incredible power,
about the abuse of the incredible trust that
we all put-- and we have to put-- in law
enforcement in a society.
NARRATOR: The prosecution relied on the defendant's own body cam
footage to help argue their case.
NARRATOR: Steven Vann, a convicted felon,
had recently gotten out of jail when Wester supposedly found
methamphetamine in his car.
NARRATOR: Like the other drivers who testified,
Vann gave the officer permission to search his car because he
claims he had nothing to hide.
NARRATOR: While the jury got to watch most
of the traffic stops, some recordings
had mysteriously disappeared.
PROSECUTOR: Why in the world would that have been deleted?
I wish I knew that answer.
NARRATOR: Ironically, body cam footage
would become the strongest element
in the prosecution's case.
Especially when it came to Teresa Odom.
ZACHARY WESTER: Hi, how are you?
I'm good.
NARRATOR: At first, the officer is polite.
Even playful.
NARRATOR: While Odom stands behind the vehicle,
Wester begins his search.
Notice as he prepares to put his gloves on,
there's a small item in his left hand.
Prosecutors argue that Wester is palming
a small bag of meth which he claims to find next to a spoon
in the vehicle.
PROSECUTOR: Now, the white small plastic baggie
that was in that spoon that the deputy
just showed you on this video.
Had you ever seen that before?
No, sir.
PROSECUTOR: Was that in your car?
No, sir.
NARRATOR: As far as motive, the prosecution
claims the 28-year-old officer was
ambitious and wanted to move to narcotics
as quickly as possible.
Wester testified he never planted any drugs.
The drugs were there.
I did not put the narcotics there.
NARRATOR: And after five days and several witnesses,
the jury was asked to render a verdict.
If Wester's found guilty on all charges,
he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
After seven hours, the jury returns with its verdict.
In the State of Florida versus Zachary Tyler Wester, we
the jury find as follows as to the counts
charged and the information.
Count one, guilty of racketeering as charged.
NARRATOR: The clerk went on to read
the verdicts on all 67 charges.
FOREMAN: Count seven.
Guilty of official misconduct as charged.
NARRATOR: In total, the crooked officer
was found guilty on 19 charges.
FOREMAN: Count nine.
Guilty of official misconduct as charged.
Count 10.
Guilty of official misconduct as charged.
NARRATOR: Including misconduct in the arrests
of Vann and Teresa Odom.
11 of the 12 drivers filed civil lawsuits against Wester.
In July 2021, he was sentenced to 12 and 1/2
years in a state prison.