MAN IN FAKE-DRUG CASE FACES NEW CHARGE

The former officer at the center of the Dallas police fake-drug scandal
faces a new felony charge after he was indicted by a grand jury Thursday.
Like 10 previous indictments by an earlier grand jury panel, Mark Delapaz
was charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a
third-degree felony. The new indictment charges the former narcotics
officer with using false information in an Aug. 16, 2001, arrest report.
The case was one of more than two dozen drug arrests and seizures that were
later found to involve pulverized billiards chalk. According to the
indictment, Mr. Delapaz said he had witnessed a drug transaction between
the suspect and a police confidential informant that never occurred. In a
hearing scheduled for today, attorneys for Mr. Delapaz plan to argue that
any indictments obtained by special prosecutor Dan Hagood should be
dismissed because he was improperly appointed.