MISSING COCAINE HAS SHERIFF UNDER SCRUTINY

COTULLA -- La Salle County Sheriff Robbie Thomas walked into his
department's evidence room in the cramped fourth floor of the county
courthouse last February to get some cocaine to use in a sting
operation with the FBI.

He couldn't find it.

The disappearance of two packages of cocaine exposed the Sheriff's
Department's inadequate procedures for handling narcotics: There were
no procedures.

And it placed tremendous pressure on Thomas to prove to county
officials and the public that he's in charge of his officers.

The FBI and Texas Rangers are aiding a district attorney's office
investigation of the incident, and a La Salle County grand jury is
hearing evidence in the case.

"I'm upset that this happened. It's unfortunate that it happened under
my watch," Thomas said recently.

Since the investigation's start, the Sheriff's Department has hired an
attorney to help write procedures for handling evidence and moved the
evidence room from the courthouse to a more secure location.

But the entire department remains under scrutiny, and this ranching
community is awash in rumors and theories of what transpired.

As the investigation into the missing drugs picked up steam, five
deputies resigned or were fired.

The sheriff denies the personnel matters were linked to the
probe.

"There's no connection," Thomas said. "They violated department
policies and I had to take action on them."

Then there was a car accident involving Thomas while he was on patrol
Aug. 13, just days before he was to testify before the grand jury.

According to a Texas Department of Public Safety report, Thomas was
engaged in a high-speed chase when the SUV he was driving skidded off
the road.

The sheriff wasn't wearing a seat belt and injured his chest, the
report states. He was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio.

Thomas rejected the thoughts voiced by local skeptics who think the
timing of the crash was no accident.

"There is no truth to that," Thomas said, adding that he testified as
planned.

District Attorney Rene Penaof the 81st Judicial Districtcalled the
situation "very sensitive" and would not provide details of the case,
citing the ongoing investigation.

"I think it's very serious any time there is evidence not accounted
for, especially in the Sheriff's Office," Pena said.

"We're several weeks away from knowing what happened," he
added.

The fourth floor of the courthouse is a catch-all for files from all
departments, with boxes piled in corners. But only sheriff's personnel
had keys that could open the white metal evidence cell.

At first, Thomas thought the drugs were misplaced, and he didn't
inform county commissioners of the incident until months later, in
June. Then the investigation began.

The failure to report the missing cocaine right away caused county
officials to question the sheriff's competence.

"It's very important to get to the very bottom of this process and
determine who's at fault, or if anyone is at fault, for the missing
narcotics," La Salle County Judge Joel Rodriguez said. "Until then, I
feel the relationship between the Sheriff's Office and DPS, the Texas
Rangers and federal agencies is damaged, hindering the ability of the
department to seek outside assistance in solving crimes."

Thomas, 40, has worked in the Sheriff's Department for two decades in
a variety of positions. He assumed the top job in 2004, after the
previous sheriff resigned. Thomas subsequently was elected to the post.

At a Commissioners Court meeting last week, Thomas let the
department's attorney do most of the explaining about the new evidence
handling procedures.

As the pressure keeps piling on, the sheriff says he is not jumping to
conclusions about whether one of his deputies stole cocaine from the
evidence room.

"I'll let the DA and the Rangers and the FBI look at what they've
heard," Thomas said.

He's also taking lessons from the fracas.

"I'm more strict now," the sheriff said.