FORMER DALLAS OFFICER CONVICTED OF STEALING

Ex-Dallas police Officer Quentis R. Roper was convicted today of stealing
more than $100,000 from drug dealers and undocumented immigrants.

Jurors in state District Judge John Creuzot's court returned the verdict
about 11 a.m. after four hours of deliberation. They received the case late
Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Roper, fired earlier this year from his job as a northeast patrol
division officer, was tried on a charge of theft of more than $100,000 by a
public servant. The first-degree felony carries a sentence of up to 99 years
in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Clark Birdsall said Judge Creuzot indicated he
would defer sentencing until the resolution of two other felony cases
against the former officer and a theft case against former Officer Dan
Maples.

Mr. Roper also is charged with perjury and tampering with government
records, Mr. Birdsall said.

During the three-week trial, a parade of admitted drug dealers said Mr.
Roper or his police partner took cash that had been confiscated during
arrests. According to their testimony, officers reported less cash on police
reports than was taken during the arrests, in some cases thousands of
dollars.

Mr. Roper has maintained his innocence, saying drug dealers conspired
against him because of his aggressive police work. Some police officers also
testified they didn't witness the alleged improprieties.

Prosecutors, however, called Mr. Roper a predator who stole from drug
dealers and immigrants because he knew they couldn't complain. Assistant
District Attorney Clark Birdsall called the conspiracy theory implausible.

"The defense was that the allegations were brought forward by criminals who
were just inventing stories to get him thrown off their case, but the
evidence was overwhelming to the contrary,'' Mr. Birdsall said after the
verdict.

The prosecutor also expressed anger that other police officers supported Mr.
Roper. He said as many as 10 officers were at the courthouse throughout the
trial.

"Althought the overwheming majority of police are good people, I am very
disturbed by the number of them who spent the last 2 1/2 weeks down here
supporing a thief instead of being out there on the streets doing their
jobs,'' he said.