Fired cop lands in jail again

By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY

LEXINGTON PARK (March 24, 2009)  --- St. Mary's Deputy Sheriffs report that a former member of the Department who was fired for assaulting a subject while he was off duty  and intoxicated in an incident on May 13, 2008, has once again been arrested on assault chargers.

On March 21, 2009 a victim/citizen entered the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office to report she was assaulted by David Adam Goff, 34 of Lexington Park, Maryland two different times on March 19, 2009. 

The victim reported she and Goff were engaged in a verbal dispute at a residence in Lexington Park, Maryland which escalated into an assault when Goff pushed the victim to the floor causing her to injure her foot.  Goff also kicked the victim and grabbed her by the hair.   

An application for a statement of charges was completed and an arrest warrant issued for David Goff. 

On March 22, 2009 Goff was arrested and transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center.

Goff was a well respected member of the Sheriff's Department until the 2007 incident when he accosted a St. James man who was illegally operating an ATV alongside of Rt. 235.  Goff had to be pulled from beating the man by another deputy and was later charged with DWI.  Goff was operating his private vehicle during the incident but had his wife and child in the vehicle which he was operating while drunk.

Goff reportedly had a longstanding drinking problem which was not discovered in time to get him help and keep him from losing his job.

Goff plead not guilty but in a plea agreement was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 28 days suspended for the DWI charge.  Kevin J. McDevitt, attorney for Goff, filed a motion with the court to end the probation before judgment period for Goff by Dec. 31, 2008, which removes him from risk of immediate return to jail and instead is expected to make bail on his current charges.

While alcoholism runs rampant through police agencies, the local FOP has run a bar instead of 12-step programs.

The FOP has allowed non-police to join their club on Chancellors Run Road, most of them with the expectation that by belonging to the club, they will not be given traffic tickets.

Over the years, many police officers have left the FOP bar loaded knowing that if they were pulled over they would likely be on their way and escape arrest after showing their badge.

In recent years the FOP has, under new leadership, attempted to shed the bar image and become involved in legitimate activities to better the community, expanding a Christmas program which pairs cops with poor kids and takes them shopping for presents for their families.

The taxpayers lost a lot of money on training former Deputy Goff and he threw away his career, proving once again that alcohol addiction strikes across the board at all of society and reveals that the stressful jobs of police officers need more than a bar to alleviate the pressure found on the job.

Besides running Texas Hold Em Tournaments, which reportedly is illegal for the FOP to operate as they fail to conform to IRS rules, the group could sponsor counseling services for officers who develop a problem with alcohol.


Shane Weasenforth, who was beat up by drunk deputy last May.

DrunkDeputyBeatMan.html