“My transgressions have brought an abrupt end to a 16-year career,” said former University police officer Charles Beatty III as he prepared to receive his sentence from Washtenaw County Court judge Donald Shelton yesterday afternoon.

Shelton sentenced Beatty to 18 months of probation stemming from his January arrest for cocaine possession.

Beatty was arrested on Jan. 13 in Ypsilanti when cocaine and an open container of alcohol were found in his car, according to an article last month in The Michigan Daily. Beatty was off-duty at the time of his arrest.

Beatty’s arrest came after a months-long investigation by the Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team’s Major Case Team into allegations that Beatty had purchased cocaine, according to a July 8 Daily article.

Before handing down the sentence, Shelton asked Beatty when he’d last used narcotics, to which Beatty replied that he hadn’t used any drugs since his arrest — a claim Beatty said he’d be willing to prove with a drug test.

Shelton then sent Beatty to consult with an in-court probation officer before sentencing.

In the elevator down to the courthouse probation office, Beatty remained silent as his lawyer Thomas Moors declined to offer any comment on the case.

Beatty met with a probation officer for about fifteen minutes before returning with Moors to the courtroom for sentencing.

In defending his client, Moors said he’s known Beatty since Beatty was 12 years old and has complete faith in his ability to bounce back from a drug-related problem.

Just prior to his sentencing, Beatty briefly expressed remorse to Shelton in a quiet and halting voice.

“At this point I just seek forgiveness … from the court, the law enforcement community and more importantly from the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety,” Beatty told Shelton.

In passing down the sentence, Shelton said Beatty’s personal losses — including the loss of his job after 16 years of employment — would outweigh any punishment the court would hand down.

“You’re personally going to be punished far beyond this court,” Shelton said before sentencing Beatty to probation.

In addition to serving probation, Shelton ruled that Beatty must pay over $500 in court costs and continue attending an outpatient substance abuse treatment program.