A former Phoenix police officer accused of robbing several Valley banks in 2006 quit his job several months before the alleged heists following a positive steroids test, according to a state law enforcement accreditation agency.
After 13 years of service, Chad Michael Goulding, 40, resigned from the Phoenix Police Department in August 2005 in the middle of an internal investigation prompted by a girlfriend's accusation that led to the positive drug test, records show.
Records released Monday by the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board highlighted that Goulding tested positive for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone.
Goulding's girlfriend, a fellow police officer, told detectives she feared Goulding "may cause her harm" due to the drug use, according to a termination report reviewed by AZPOST. The agency certifies and revokes police officer credentials.
According to the investigation, Goulding "explained that he was not sure if he was using steroids or not as he had purchased the pills from an acquaintance at his gym." Phoenix police drug tests also showed his testosterone levels were abnormally high.
Late last week, Goulding was arrested by FBI agents on suspicion of five Valley bank robberies in which he is accused of stealing more than $133,000 between June and November 2006.
A 95-count indictment accuses Goulding of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault and theft in a string of Bank of America robberies in Mesa, Glendale, Chandler and Scottsdale.
Goulding is being held at Maricopa County Lower Buckeye Jail on a $1 million bond, according to the County Sheriff's Office. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
