BALDWIN DRUG AGENT CHARGED WITH DUI

Greg Steven Wilson Arrested Following Traffic Accident

SPANISH FORT -- An undercover drug officer in Baldwin County was charged
with driving under the influence of alcohol Friday following a traffic
accident on U.S. 31, authorities said.

Greg Steven Wilson, 36, of Spanish Fort, was arrested by Alabama State
Troopers after the 1:45 a.m. accident. Baldwin County District Attorney
David Whetstone said he was told Wilson struck a fire hydrant in his
county-issued 1998 Ford pickup truck.

Wilson was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center at 6 a.m. and
immediately posted a $1,000 bond, according to a jail spokesman.

Wilson could not be reached for comment.

Lt. Lance Monley and Sgt. Neil Holcombe, the commander and deputy commander
of the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, where Wilson is assigned, said they
could not comment because the Sheriff's Department has opened an internal
affairs investigation.

Whetstone said he does not know if Wilson agreed to submit to a
Breathalyzer test but added, "If one officer arrests another, it's usually
very apparent that he's under the influence."

Whetstone said his office would prosecute Wilson in Baldwin County District
Court just like anyone else charged with DUI.

Whetstone said he does not know the circumstances surrounding Wilson's
arrest, but he added that undercover officers often put themselves in
situations where alcohol flows freely and are expected to drink themselves.

"They can't go in there looking like a cop. They have to look like some
thing else. They have to play a role," he said. "And when that happens, a
good man can make bad mistakes."

Monley said Wilson was not on duty at the time. Had the officer been
working and become intoxicated to keep up appearances, Whetstone said he
would take that into consideration.

Whetstone said undercover officers face extreme emotional turmoil and
frequently must be rotated to other assignments.

"When you have an undercover situation, it is extremely tense," he said.
"I'm not justifying driving under the influence; what I'm saying is this is
one of the things you have to watch for with undercover officers."

How Wilson's arrest will affect his career was unclear Friday. Sheriff
James B. "Jimmy" Johnson was in Dallas County and could not be reached for
comment. Chief Deputy Larry Milstid, who was in Texas, also was unavailable
for comment.

Whetstone said Johnson could suspend Wilson pending the outcome of the DUI
case, although the law does not require him to do so. He said he expects
Johnson to "let the punishment fit the crime" after considering a number of
factors.