Toledo Police Officer Fired After Video Shows Him Buying Marijuana on Duty
A former Toledo Police officer, Jeremy Berndt, has been terminated from his position after a video surfaced showing him buying marijuana while on duty and in uniform. The incident occurred in December 2024 at Maximum Performance Cycles, a bike shop on Laskey Road.
According to the video, Berndt, a 21-year veteran of the force, arrived at the shop in his police uniform and carrying a department-issued firearm. He laid out cash on the desk and received a green substance, which he placed in his pocket. The substance was later found to be marijuana.
Berndt claimed that he was buying hemp to help a family member quit using marijuana, but investigators did not believe his story. He also claimed that he didn’t know the difference between hemp and marijuana, stating that they look and smell the same.
However, police officials disputed Berndt’s account, with one sergeant saying that even someone who is blind could see that the transaction was a drug deal. Berndt was convicted of dereliction of duty and received a community service sentence.
The incident was discovered during an investigation into a complaint about stolen motorcycle parts and drug possession at the bike shop. The owners of the shop, Mike and Markus Caputo, were indicted by a grand jury for drug possession and receiving stolen property.
Berndt’s termination was announced in June, and he has since been assigned to community service, where he will work with children at the Frederick Douglass Center in Toledo, teaching them how to interact with police.
