Former Petersburg officer admits distributing steroids

RICHMOND, Va. Federal prosecutors say a former Petersburg police officer has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing anabolic steroids to other officers.

Calvin Felder entered his plea yesterday in Richmond federal court. According to the U-S Attorney's office, Felder faces up to five years in prison, three years of probation and a 250-thousand-dollar fine. Felder is scheduled to be sentenced January 18th.

As part of his plea, Felder acknowledged that he distributed anabolic steroids to fellow officers in 2002 and 2003. Prosecutors say he acknowledged converting one of the substances into an injectable liquid, providing hypodermic needles and instructing the other officers on how to inject the steroids.

F-B-I agents who investigated the case said that the officers turned to steroids to build muscle that would give them an edge in confrontations with criminals. But the drugs can cause violent outbursts known as "'roid rage."