EX-CHIEF COULD GET UP TO 50 YEARS IN DRUG CONVICTION

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- He used to put people behind bars, but now a
former Premont police chief faces up to 50 years in prison after being
convicted on drug charges.

Robert Sanger, who has been suspended without pay, will remain in custody
until his Dec. 16 sentencing.

A federal jury found Sanger guilty Thursday on one count of possession with
intent to distribute marijuana, one count of conspiring to distribute about
a ton of marijuana, found at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint, and
one count of knowingly accepting gifts while acting as chief.

Jurors found him innocent on a fourth count -- lying to investigators.

"The defendant's position in law enforcement required him to have fidelity
to an oath, and that oath was to obey the law," said U.S. District Court
Judge Hayden W. Head Jr. "He is lucky the jury did not convict him of the
fourth count. He clearly made a false statement."

Sanger, who served as chief of Premont in Jim Wells County for five years,
was indicted May 13.

An associate of his, Roger Lopez, pleaded guilty in the case and was
sentenced to seven years. On Monday, Lopez testified he used cocaine with
Sanger and gave him several gifts, including $280 and motel accommodations.

David Gonzalez, a Corpus Christi police officer assigned to work with a Drug
Enforcement Administration task force, testified that phone records show 191
calls between Sanger and Lopez in 1996 and several more calls in 1997.

Lopez also said Sanger gave him information about drug interdiction
operations.

Other co-conspirators already sentenced in the case include Ernest Huerta,
who received seven years; Michael Junk, who was sentenced to 4 years; and
Patricia Marie Gongora, who received five years probation.

Premont is a town of about 3,000 people, about 50 miles southwest of Corpus
Christi.

Checked-by: Don Beck