MISSING COCAINE A MYSTERY

20 pounds disappears from evidence room

NEW CANEY -- Montgomery County authorities remain at a loss to explain how
almost 20 pounds of cocaine disappeared last year from the evidence room of
a constable who testified before a grand jury this week.

Precinct 4 Constable Travis Bishop and four employees from his New
Caney-based department testified Tuesday in what District Attorney Mike
McDougal described as an informal probe that targeted no suspects.

"We took testimony, but it wasn't really a situation where we were going to
indict or nobill anybody," McDougal said. "I just wanted to get some people
under oath and get their testimony on the record in case something develops
in the future. But right now, nobody has any idea how this stuff disappeared."

Bishop notified the Texas Rangers late last year after two of his employees
discovered that the cocaine was gone. Most of the missing contraband
already had been used as evidence in trials and was going to be destroyed,
McDougal said.

He said only Bishop and one deputy had keys to the evidence room, although
any number of other people could have found a way to get in.

"I wouldn't call it the most secure place, but it seemed adequately secure
to me," McDougal said. "Supposedly, the lock could be picked without a
whole lot of effort."

While estimates on the street value of drugs vary widely, McDougal said the
cocaine could have been sold for up to $3 million.

Bishop said Wednesday he is developing policies and measures to tighten
security. He noted that his offices are part of an annex housing several
other county agencies.

"There are all kinds of people milling around all the time," Bishop said.
"The justice of the peace has people working off traffic tickets around
here. For somebody to have gotten into our property room without forced
entry, it had to be somebody who knew our routine. If somebody wants to get
in and get something bad enough, they'll find a way to do it."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski