Ex-Police Chief Charged with Felony Drug Dealing

On November 14, 2025, Eric Doutt, the former police chief of Arnold, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with six felony counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine. According to police paperwork, a confidential informant had been purchasing cocaine from Doutt on multiple occasions over the past several years, sometimes as frequently as 2-3 times per day.

Doutt, who worked for the Arnold Police Department from 1990 to 2024 and held various roles including DARE officer and police chief, was seen on three separate occasions selling cocaine. The most recent incident occurred just last Thursday morning. Shortly after, Doutt was pulled over in East Franklin Township and taken into custody.

Experts say that when a police officer, particularly a police chief, is arrested, it has a "chilling effect" on the community, eroding confidence in law enforcement, especially among children and parents. Doutt is currently employed as an officer for UPMC Passavant and previously served on the New Kensington-Arnold School board.

This is the second police chief in Westmoreland County to be arrested for drug-related offenses in the past two years. Shawn Dennings, the former Greensburg Police Chief, was sentenced in May 2025 for selling narcotics. Criminologists suggest that the lure of profit often leads to such corruption, whether it's involvement in illegal gambling, narcotics, or human trafficking.