As a former South Bend police officer, Tony Macik has to be pretty familiar with the criminal justice system. He is now seeing it from a different perspective since being arrested for possession of steroids in October of last year.
The 40-year-old Edwardsburg resident was sentenced to 300 days in jail with two days credit for time already served on Friday at Cass County Circuit Court. Judge Michael Dodge said he did not object to serving part of the sentence on tether.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tiffiny Vohwinkle said Macik was in possession of enough steroids that he must have been dealing the drug.
“He was spreading the synthetic poison throughout the county,” she said. “We recommend a year in jail.”
Macik began using prescription steroids after he suffered an injury several years ago that ended his career as a cop, according to his lawyer Frederick Taylor.
But Macik continued to use the substance after his prescription expired. The Cass County Drug Enforcement Team was tipped off when a fitness center in Granger, Ind. that Macik was working for revealed that Macik had been ordering anabolic steroids with the company e-mail account.
A search was done at Macik’s home in Edwardsburg and a package of human growth hormones that he had signed for was found. Some of the steroids found can only be obtained from the overseas market, according to Dodge.
Macik was apologetic in his comments and thanked his family for their support.
“I’m very embarrassed and very sorry,” he said.
Taylor requested tether for Macik so he could be at home with his family.
“Essentially he’s a stay-at-home dad,” Taylor said.
Dodge said Macik’s clean record and history as a decorated South Bend cop only helped his case.
“I respect the law enforcement service you provided,” he said. “But I need substantial and compelling reasons to deviate from the (sentencing) guidelines. And they are not met in this case.”
Macik’s sentence was toward the bottom of the 10- to 19-month sentence guidelines.
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