2 NARCOTICS DETECTIVES INDICTED

Officers Accused Of Theft, Perjury, Forging Signatures

Two Jefferson County narcotics detectives were indicted yesterday on more
than 450 counts each in a police misconduct case that likely will result in
more than a dozen prosecutions being dismissed and at least two felons
possibly being set free.

After being booked by their own colleagues in the Metro Narcotics Unit,
Detective Mark Watson and his partner, Christie Richardson, were being held
in the Jefferson County jail last night, isolated from other prisoners in
protective custody, officials said.

Circuit Judge Ann O'Malley Shake set a bond of $100,000 cash or $150,000
property and $25,000 cash for both defendants. They are scheduled for
arraignment this morning.

If convicted, they could be sentenced to as much as 70 years on charges of
bribery, theft, perjury and burglary. They're accused of fabricating
information to obtain search warrants, tampering with drug evidence and
forging judges' signatures -- allegations that have jeopardized dozens of
narcotics cases.

"This is a sad day for the Jefferson County Police Department," but it
shows the department's integrity is foremost, Chief William Carcara said
during a news conference yesterday evening at police headquarters.
Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel's office announced yesterday that it
has filed motions to set aside the convictions of three offenders --
including two in prison. All three were convicted of drug-trafficking
offenses, First Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Harry Rothgerber said.
"We are interested first and foremost in trying to maintain the integrity
of the judicial system," Rothgerber said, "whether it takes dismissing 20
cases or 40 cases or 200 cases."

After meeting about three hours, a grand jury returned an indictment in the
case late yesterday afternoon, charging Watson with 472 counts and
Richardson with 467. The charges include first-degree burglary, tampering
with public records, perjury and theft.

The indictments are based on a review of cases since January 2001, and more
charges are possible, Rothgerber said. Investigators also will begin
looking at cases from 1999 and 2000.

"We will not compromise our integrity or our principles," Carcara said. "If
a Jefferson County police officer is observed doing something illegal or
unethical, we will correct that act. And today, we have begun the process
of correcting those acts."

The detectives remain suspended with pay, but Carcara said he expects to
resolve their job status by next week. He wouldn't say if they would be fired.

Mark Miller, an attorney representing Watson, wouldn't comment last night.

Steve Schroering, Richardson's lawyer, said his client "adamantly maintains
her innocence of all the criminal charges." Richardson is expected to post
bond soon.

Carcara said no indictments of other officers are expected.

"We believe that these two acted alone," he said.

Asked at a news conference whether supervision of the detectives was
adequate, Carcara said only, "We never expected two detectives to
collaborate in this way."

But he said he'll invite the Police Executive Research Forum to conduct an
independent audit of the Metro Narcotics Unit -- which includes members
from the Louisville and Jefferson County police departments.

The investigation was prompted by Watson's repeated failure to appear in
court for cases.

Twenty-one of Watson's 41 cases last year were dismissed because of "police
officer not present," according to court and police records, which also
show he received court pay for 10 of those dropped cases.

Defendants in 18 of the dismissed cases were charged with felonies, most of
them with trafficking in cocaine or another controlled substance.

The alleged court-pay scheme triggered a broader investigation that
involves allegations that Watson and Richardson took money intended for
informants. It's unclear just how much money is involved, but Carcara said
that the amount could be "well into five figures."

Rothgerber said the commonwealth's attorney's office decided to ask that
the three convictions be rescinded because they were based on fraudulent
search warrants. He said evidence obtained in the searches would have been
suppressed before trial if the court had known the warrants were defective.

Stengel's office also has filed motions to dismiss felony charges in 15
Jefferson Circuit Court cases, involving 24 defendants, in which Watson and
Richardson were the lead detectives. Rothgerber said seven cases pending
before the grand jury will be dropped.

Chief narcotics prosecutor Alex Dathorne said the investigation found no
wrongdoing in a majority of the 15 pending cases, but prosecutors decided
to move to dismiss all of them because "we couldn't in good faith put these
two officers on the stand and rely upon on their veracity."

The pending cases that the commonwealth's attorney's office moved to
dismiss yesterday including drug-trafficking charges against Linda Sharp
and her husband, John.

Watson and Richardson searched their house in the Portland neighborhood,
turning up 11 pounds of marijuana. After pleading guilty last month, Linda
Sharp accused the detectives of forging her signature on a form consenting
to the search. Sharp's guilty plea already had been set aside.

One defendant who won't get relief is University of Louisville football
player Jonta Woodard, who, citing the detectives' misconduct, had moved to
rescind his guilty plea to trafficking in marijuana and other charges.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jeff Derouen, a spokesman for Stengel's
office, said it decided not to dismiss Woodard's charges because neither
Watson nor Richardson was the lead detective in the case. Derouen said
Watson and Richardson's delivery of marijuana to Woodard was videotaped by
other officers.

The two imprisoned offenders whose convictions Stengel's office moved
yesterday to set aside are Walker Elliott, 28, and Kensey Rankin, 21.

Elliott was convicted last year and in 2000 of two counts of cocaine
trafficking and one count of firearm possession by a felon. He was
sentenced to 10 years in prison and wouldn't be eligible for parole until
March 2003. He is incarcerated at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional
Complex, where officials last night wouldn't ask him if he would comment.

Rankin, who was convicted in October of drug trafficking, was sentenced to
five years in prison. It couldn't be determined last night where he was
incarcerated.

Derouen, who prosecuted Rankin, said he is also incarcerated on cases
worked by detectives other than Watson and Richardson, so it is not clear
if the dismissal of charges they brought would result in his release.

Stengel's office also filed a motion to set aside the verdict in a case
against William Boyer, but no further information on that case was
available yesterday.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Scott Davis, the lead prosecutor assigned
to the case, said he could not discuss the charges or investigation in detail.