NEW BEDFORD — City police charged a now-former city employee, Stephen Greany, with stealing city property and being in possession of narcotics on Friday.
Police found a gaming console, fire alarms and a bullet-resistant vest at Greany’s Francis Street residence — items that he allegedly stole from the city, according to a release from the New Bedford Police Department.
Police also found marijuana; suboxone strips, a prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder; alprazolam, which is a sedative known by its brand name, Xanax; 10 vials of testosterone, as well as nearly 50 rounds of ammunition and $6,400 in cash.
Greany was a former city police detective who in 1999 pleaded guilty to taking a bribe from a drug dealer in exchange for revealing the identity of an undercover narcotics officer, the Standard-Times reported over two decades ago. For that, he served some time in federal prison.
He is now being charged with larceny-related offenses, possession of class “B” and “D” substances with intent to distribute and possession of ammunition without a license.
Greany was working for the city’s Department of Fleet and Facilities Management, but has since been terminated, according to city spokesperson Holly Huntoon. He was hired in February of 2019 as a park maintenance worker, according to Huntoon, and for a brief period worked as a code enforcement inspector before returning to park maintenance.
“I applaud the police department’s prompt investigation,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell in a statement. “Upon the filing of charges, the City terminated Mr. Greany and will provide the District Attorney’s Office with the information it needs to hold him fully accountable.”
Fleet and Facilities Management Director Jennifer Vieira did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A staffer in the department’s office referred The Light to police department spokesperson Lt. Scott Carola.
Carola said the chief was out of the office and not available to comment on the case.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
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