Springfield, Illinois — A former Springfield police officer, whose FOID card had been suspended for months while he was still a patrol officer, has been indicted on drug charges. This follows his resignation from the Springfield Police Department after a positive marijuana test and accusations from his live-in girlfriend of selling marijuana and using steroids.

On July 23, 2024, the Springfield Police Department received a complaint from an anonymous officer stating that Springfield Police Officer Clayton J. Hadley, age 29, was using and possibly selling cannabis. According to the complaint, the anonymous officer approached a supervisor seeking guidance on how to handle another officer (Hadley) who might be breaking the law. The anonymous officer reported being aware of a Snapchat video that showed Officer Hadley removing cannabis from a “brick” of it and repackaging it into smaller baggies. The anonymous officer claimed they had seen the Snapchat video a week before reporting it and that it was shown to them by a third party, though they did not have the video saved.

The supervisor, who filed the complaint on behalf of the anonymous officer, stated that it was known among several officers that Officer Hadley was using cannabis. As a result, Officer Hadley was ordered to undergo a “just cause” drug test. According to Chief of Field Operations Andrew Dodd, when Officer Hadley was served with drug test and administrative leave paperwork, he admitted to using marijuana on his days off.

Eight days later, On July 31, 2024, Officer Hadley, who had been with the Springfield Police Department since June 28, 2021, was informed that Internal Affairs was opening an investigation. According to Lieutenant Jason Brands, who was assigned as the Internal Affairs investigator, when he served Officer Hadley with a letter advising him that an investigation had been opened, Officer Hadley asked about the process moving forward and mentioned that he had already admitted to SPD staff that he uses cannabis. Later, that day, around 7:26 p.m., the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department was called to the 2700 block of Queensway Rd., in Springfield, Illinois.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, dispatch informed them that Hadley was in a verbal argument with his girlfriend. He had punched the fridge, screamed in her face, thrown water, and told her to leave the house. A deputy noted that, while responding to the residence, they learned Hadley was on disciplinary administrative leave from the Springfield Police Department. Due to the circumstances and conflict of interest, the Springfield Police Department requested the Sheriff’s Office handle the call.

Deputies reported that upon arriving at the scene and making contact with Hadley’s girlfriend at the front door, they observed that she was crying and visibly upset. While speaking to Hadley’s girlfriend, deputies were informed that Hadley had access to several firearms in the basement, was alleged to be suicidal, and had made statements about wanting to kill himself. According to her statement, she reported that “she and Hadley have been dating and that she lives at the residence with him.” She explained that Hadley had been suspended from the Springfield Police Department due to someone ‘snitching’ on him for smoking weed, which happened because someone posted a picture of him on social media. He was tested, and the results came back positive for marijuana. There were also claims that he used cocaine and steroids. Hadley initially suspected his girlfriend of posting him on social media, but she denied it, claiming she was too smart to post pictures of him using cocaine. She further stated that Hadley does not have a prescription for steroids and buys them from someone at his gym. Hadley’s girlfriend told deputies that although nothing physical occurred during their recent argument, Hadley had been physical with her within the last month. She also expressed concern, saying that if Hadley “were to be cleared to go back to work, he would hurt somebody.”

The Sheriff’s Department then contacted Memorial Behavioral Health and requested that they respond to the scene to speak with Hadley, who stated that he was stressed and emotionally exhausted from work and being on administrative leave. After speaking with Memorial Behavioral Health, it was determined that he would be involuntarily committed to the hospital due to suicidal statements. Hadley was transported to the hospital by Springfield police, with a Sheriff’s deputy following behind to assist.

After Hadley left the house, deputies contacted the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office to determine how to handle the firearms left in the residence. Records indicated that Hadley’s girlfriend had a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID), while Hadley’s FOID card had been suspended since October 2023 due to an order of protection filed against him by another woman with whom he has a child. The State’s Attorney’s Office advised that since Hadley’s girlfriend did not wish to stay at the residence and given Hadley’s suspended FOID card, if she consented, deputies should take the firearms for safekeeping. She granted this consent and opened two gun safes located in the basement.

Deputies reported observing numerous firearms and vials of what appeared to be testosterone (a steroid) in a pocket on the inside of the safe door. Hadley’s girlfriend then restated that Hadley does not possess a valid prescription for the steroids. One deputy also noted seeing what appeared to be a jar containing marijuana in a closet adjacent to the two safes.

Deputies said Hadley’s girlfriend mentioned there might also be firearms in an unattached garage and gave them permission to search through totes. While searching, they found several large bags that appeared to contain cannabis. One deputy reported, ‘I looked inside a second container and saw a white trash bag. Inside it, I found what looked like three vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana.’ Another deputy noted that Hadley’s girlfriend mentioned Hadley sells weed. When she overheard the deputies asking about scales, she said Hadley gets the marijuana pre-packaged and pre-weighed. She also mentioned that Hadley uses only his cell phone for these transactions, not a computer or other devices. Additionally, she said Hadley has been using steroids for the past two years without breaks.

It was then determined that a search warrant would be required to collect the suspected narcotics. At approximately 12:12 a.m. on August 1, a Sangamon County judge signed the warrant.

During the execution of the search warrant, the following items were found: 13 vials of testosterone that appeared to be full, 18 vials of testosterone that appeared to be mostly empty, 6 jars of cannabis butter, $5,670 in U.S. currency, 6 jars of suspected cannabis wax, 2 suspected cannabis pipes, 1 suspected wooden dugout one-hitter, 1 live resin THC vape pen, and 3 large vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis flower. The bags were later weighed and measured approximately 19 ounces, 19 ounces, and 17 ounces, respectively. The marijuana was then removed from the bags and jars, with a total weight of approximately 3.18 pounds (51 ounces).

Additional items collected included a Glock 43x 9mm pistol, an FN Herstal 5.7×28 caliber pistol, an Ithaca 37 Featherlight 20-gauge shotgun, a French Affinity 3.6 12-gauge shotgun, a Raptor 12-gauge shotgun, a Winchester 94 .30-30 lever-action rifle, a Bushmaster XM 15-E24 .223 rifle, a Black Rain Ordinance Spec15 rifle, a Rossi RS22 .22 caliber rifle, a Pickett’s Mill Armory PMA 14 rifle, 2 Glock magazines, a Glock plastic bag, an ammo can containing .223 ammunition, an ammo can containing .556 ammunition, 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a bag of various unloaded firearm magazines, approximately 250 12-gauge shotgun shells, and a bag of various shotgun shells and ammunition.

Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette discusses the case with Illinois Times reporter Scott Reeder:

Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette spoke with Illinois Times (IT) reporter Scott Reeder about the investigation and the questions surrounding how a Springfield police officer could have a suspended FOID card yet remain with the department. Chief Scarlette explained, “His department was aware of the order of protection and assigned Hadley to restricted duty—without a gun or badge—during the period it was in place. When the order of protection expired, he returned to his normal duties,” the chief said.

However, Scarlette noted that no one within the department’s leadership was aware that Hadley’s FOID card remained under suspension. In fact, he said it was not until a reporter inquired about the suspension that inquiries were made to the Illinois State Police, and he learned that Hadley’s FOID card was indeed suspended.

“If you had a secondary weapon, a backup weapon, or if you just own shotguns or whatnot, obviously you’d have to have a FOID card, but FOID cards are not mandated in the state of Illinois for law enforcement officers,” Scarlette said.

However, although Chief Scarlette stated that law enforcement officers are not mandated to have a FOID card, according to Illinois law, law enforcement officials in the state of Illinois are exempt from needing a FOID card only “while engaged in the performance of their official duties.”

Chief Scarlette informed IT Reporter Reeder that following the domestic call at Hadley’s residence, Hadley spent several days in a local hospital, which delayed the department’s ability to serve him with paperwork notifying him that his dismissal would be sought. “We had no access to him until the 2nd of August. That’s when we intended to serve him. … (But) he indicated through his union president that he was resigning,” he said.

Springfield Leaks obtained a copy of an email sent from Hadley’s girlfriend’s account to Tamara Russell, the Union President of the Springfield Police Department. The email read: “Good morning Tami. I, Officer Hadley 833, would like to resign from the Springfield Police Department effective immediately as of today, 8/2/2024. Thank you, and have a good day.”

Due to Hadley’s resignation, he was not able to be interviewed by Internal Affairs, and a professional conduct report was sent to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board to seek Hadley’s decertification as a police officer. Chief Scarlette told IT Reporter Reeder, “We certainly did our due diligence on our end to say, ‘I don’t want this guy to ever be a cop anywhere again.'”

Additionally, Chief Scarlette noted that although marijuana is legal in Illinois, the police department’s policy prohibits officers from imbibing.

What led to the suspension of Hadley’s FOID card?

Springfield Leaks was able to track down the order of protection, which was issued against Hadley in Menard County on October 16, 2023. This order, which resulted in Hadley’s FOID card being suspended, was filed by Hadley’s ex-girlfriend, with whom he has a child. According to her, in 2021, Hadley kicked her out of their house—where she was on the lease—for “no apparent reason” while their child was just one month old. She reported that the police were called because he was confronting her sister.

The ex-girlfriend described a second incident that occurred in 2022 while Hadley was employed with the Springfield Police Department. She stated that they had made a co-parenting agreement not to have other men or women around their child, which he broke several times, having “these women watch their child so he could go hunt, etc.” She reported that he had three women watch their child and that he had threatened to come to Petersburg or Greenview, saying that the cops wouldn’t stop him.

The last incident she reported occurred on October 13, 2023. Hadley’s ex-girlfriend said that he asked her to meet him halfway at a location, and when they both arrived, he started telling her that she could start paying for daycare by herself and that he was going to take her car. She stated that she asked him to get into his truck twice, but he continued to yell and pushed her, which she said she caught herself from falling. She said that when she got into her car to check on her child, she called Menard/Sangamon and spoke to a deputy, leaving a report. She noted that her child, who was present at the time, said, “Dada push mama.”

Following the order of protection issued against Hadley, a parenting agreement was established on October 30, 2023, leading to an agreement to split daycare costs, a stipulation that no male or female acquaintances could be around the child without prior discussion, and the dismissal of the order of protection. However, although the order was dismissed, Chief Scarlette told IT Reporter Reeder, “Hadley apparently never took action to have his FOID card reinstated after it was automatically suspended due to the temporary order of protection issued against him.”

Previous Internal Affairs complaints against Hadley:

According to previous internal affairs complaints against Hadley, he was reprimanded for using his dinner break to leave work early. On August 22, 2023, Hadley took his dinner break at 5:48 p.m. and turned in the keys to his patrol vehicle at 5:55 p.m., leaving work before his scheduled shift end time of 7:00 p.m. He was then called on the radio and asked to come to the station at 6:15 p.m. When he arrived, he was not in uniform or prepared for work. His supervisor noted that he should be prepared to handle calls even during his dinner break, as he could be called back at any time by a supervisor or for high-priority calls.

On April 23, 2024, he received another reprimand for escalating a tense situation by engaging with two subjects who were unhappy with an arrest. The written reprimand given to Hadley stated:

“On April 11, 2024, you responded to assist officers in the 1100 Block of Virginia regarding a suspect resisting arrest and officers requesting assistance. Upon arrival on scene, several officers were already attempting to get the suspect into the rear of the transport van. Also present were associates of the suspect who were voicing their displeasure with the situation. While standing by, you escalated an already tense situation by engaging two subjects who were unhappy with the arrest. Another officer attempted to diffuse the situation by stepping in front of you; however, you re-engaged by stating that you weren’t worried about the male subject engaging you. You proceeded to make a hand gesture off camera and called him a ‘little boy’ several times, which undoubtedly escalated the situation. Shortly after that interaction, you went to assist officers struggling with the suspect at the rear of the transport van. You entered the rear of the van and were pulling the suspect into the seat. While in the process of moving the suspect, you engaged him in an unprofessional manner, also calling him ‘boy’ several times, and made no attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Due to your actions during this incident, it has been determined that you failed to comply with Springfield Police Department Rule #18, Courtesy and Image. In addition to this written reprimand, you have been scheduled to attend the course: Non-Escalation & De-Escalation Scenario-Based Training on July 11th in Jerseyville, IL.”

Yesterday, Hadley was indicted by a Sangamon County Grand Jury for possession of cannabis, a Class 3 felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class C misdemeanor. Hadley was issued a summons to appear in court on October 10, 2024; however, his attorney has requested a change of date.