BURBANK, Calif., July 15 (UPI) -- Friends and colleagues of a Burbank, Calif., city councilwoman are expressing disbelief over her arrest on drug and weapons charges.
Stacey Jo Murphy, 52, was arrested Wednesday when police searched her home and found cocaine, three loaded handguns and 900 rounds of ammunition, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Murphy has been a member of the Burbank City Council since 1997.
Police said they found a small amount of methamphetamine, two vials of cocaine, nine handguns and a large amount of ammunition at the apartment of Murphy's boyfriend, 51-year-old Scott Schaffer, who was also arrested.
Police said the arrests came as part of an 18-month investigation into a gang in connection with the November 2003 fatal shooting of Burbank Police Officer Matthew Pavelka, 26, but there is no evidence linking either Murphy or Schaffer to that case.
As recently as last week Murphy and Schaffer attended a Burbank police fundraiser for a national monument for police officers who have died in the line of duty, said her former husband, Tim Murphy.
"Beyond being shocked and utterly flabbergasted, there's very little I can add," said Burbank Mayor Jef Vander Borght, who has known Murphy for more than 20 years.
