I-Team Report: Cop Shop

June 27, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Two weeks ago the I-Team reported a story called "The Avenger of K-Town," a resident of a drug-infested Chicago neighborhood who had enough and secretly began recording video of curbside drug deals in broad daylight right outside his house.

One of the cars he caught on tape is personally registered to a Chicago police tactical officer who admits having been there but maintains he did nothing wrong.

K-Town, known for its streets that start with the letter K, for decades has been known for something else: easy access to illegal drugs.

On the K streets, at any time of day, you see cars pull over; a person come to the car window. Residents say that's to take an order. Then a few minutes later they return to the vehicle to deliver the goods and collect the cash.

The I-Team quickly caught a couple of those apparent transactions on tape one afternoon.

Retired CTA mechanic David Muhammed started taking the videos earlier this year from behind the blinds on his second floor. Last month he began posting them on YouTube, complete with his play-by-play.

At the time, police told the I-Team they welcomed the assistance.

"We would like to be able to use some of what he is posting to help some of our investigations," said Deputy Chief John Escalante, Chicago police.

Now Chicago police officials are using one of his video posts to investigate one of their own.

A Chicago patrolman paid a visit to K-Town in his own car and not while he was on duty.

A video that Muhammed says he shot Friday, May 25 at 5:54 p.m., shows a late model SUV in the standard K-Town protocol -- pulling over to the exact streetside location where dozens of drug sales are made every day. A meet-and-greet takes place with a young man at curbside who leaves for a short time and then returns. He gets into the officer's vehicle and departs less than 30 second later.

The license plate is registered to Anthony Sherlock. A Fraternal Order of Police sticker on his windshield in the video. Sherlock, 33, joined the force eight years ago, is married and has a family.

Sherlock says he was stripped of his badge and gun last January as the result of what he calls some "medical thing."

At the same time the video was taken in late May Sherlock was working a police desk job and was no longer on the street, according to police officials.

A spokeswoman for Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says Sherlock's off-duty appearance in a K-Town drug market has been the subject of a separate Internal Affairs investigation since the I-Team discovered the videos.

Chicago police officials say they are waiting the final outcome of the video investigation. Typically, police say, such an investigation could result in termination.

The I-Team left Anthony Sherlock a message at his home Wednesday afternoon and he called us back. Sherlock initially said his car had been in the shop, then admitted that he had driven to work through K-Town a couple times. He then amended that a few minutes later, saying drives that way "a lot." He sometimes stops to speak with people who used to be his drug informants. "You never know when you will need them again," he said. When I described what is seen on the video, Sherlock said: "I know nothing. It's completely absurd. I wasn't involved in any illegal drugs-whatever-like you guys are saying."

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i-team, chuck goudie

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