Canton Police Officer Arrested on Drug Charges

TYLER – A Canton police officer has been arrested on federal drug charges. Authorities say James Melvin Bradshaw, 32, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and charged with six counts of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation. Bradshaw was arrested yesterday morning and went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Guthrie Thursday afternoon for an initial appearance. According to the indictment, on six separate occasions from January to November 2012, Bradshaw is alleged to have used his position as a police officer to obtain hydrocodone by fraud, deception, or misrepresentation. Bradshaw is alleged to have acquired the hydrocodone from individuals who had legitimate prescriptions to possess the substance. If convicted, Bradshaw faces up to four years in federal prison on each charge.