COUNCILMAN REARRESTED 1 WEEK AFTER CONVICTION

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 6, 1998) -- After being convicted recently of a
handgun charge, City-County Councilman Ron Franklin said his political
career was over and that he would not run again when his term expires
at the end of next year.

But on Thursday, his brushes with law enforcement continued.

He was released from jail after posting $15,000 bond. He faces
preliminary charges of cocaine possession and public intoxication
after his arrest Wednesday night. A decision on whether to file formal
charges is expected today from the Marion County prosecutor's office.

Neither Franklin nor his attorney returned telephone calls seeking
comment.

After he was convicted on the gun charge last week, Franklin said,
"I'm going to finish off my term, and I'm going to ride off into the
sunset. I want to be a good Christian, a good husband and a good
father, that's all."

Despite his legal troubles during the past year, City-County Council
members said Franklin has continued to do a professional job.

Toby McClamroch, the council's majority leader, said he would issue a
statement today after he learned more about Franklin's arrest
Wednesday night in Lawrence. Franklin, like McClamroch, is a Republican.

Rozelle Boyd, the Democratic minority leader on the council, said he
thinks members should allow the criminal justice system to proceed.

"I don't think we should rush to judgment at any time," he
said.

Franklin will be sentenced Nov. 18 for carrying a handgun without a
permit. He was convicted last week on the charge and acquitted of
possession of marijuana. The charges arose after police found a
marijuana cigarette and the gun in Franklin's car on Oct. 9, 1997, in
an Eastside neighborhood.

Franklin's gun permit had expired. His auto mechanic testified that he
had left the marijuana in Franklin's car when he worked on the brakes.

Franklin was convicted in 1995 of drunken driving in Minneapolis. He
was arrested there while attending a conference.

Franklin's arrest Wednesday occurred after a police officer found him
near his parked car in the eastbound lanes of 56th Street, in a
desolate area near German Church Road, said Lt. Don Deputy of the
Lawrence Police Department.

According to Deputy:

A citizen who noticed two men standing outside the car and said things
looked suspicious had flagged down Officer Robert Donaldson.

Franklin, who was not far from his Lawrence home, told the officer he
had locked himself out of his car. The car's engine was running.
Franklin said he had been with a friend but did not say who that person was.

Donaldson believed Franklin was intoxicated based on his bloodshot
eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on his breath. Franklin
admitted he had been drinking.

After Franklin's wife arrived and unlocked the car, Franklin consented
to having his car searched. The officer found a bag containing cocaine
on the car's console.

Deputy described the amount of cocaine as that which a "recreational
user" would have. The cocaine weighed less than 3 grams, he said.
Investigators describe a gram as equal to about a packet of sugar. "It
doesn't take much cocaine to get high," Deputy said.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry