FORMER SHERIFF'S DEPUTY AND WIFE ARE INDICTED ON DRUG CHARGES

A former Harris County sheriff's deputy, who was fired when cocaine was
found in his system, and his wife were indicted on drug charges Wednesday.

Lawrence Rhea Underwood, 29 and Lisa Jannell Underwood, 30, were indicted
on charges of possessing more than one and less than four grams of
methamphetamines on Oct. 29, prosecutors said.

Underwood was also indicted on a cocaine possession charge. All the charges
are third-degree felonies and could carry a punishment of from 2 to 10
years in prison.

Sheriff's Department officials said Underwood's wife was arrested during a
drug transaction in the 4800 block of East Mount Houston on Oct. 29. After
her arrest, sheriff's deputies obtained a search warrant to test her
husband's blood. He tested positive for cocaine.

Underwood, who worked as a deputy for eight years, was arrested at the
couple's home in the 4800 block of Cicada in northeast Harris County and
fired for violating the department's drug policy, officials said.