SBI PROBING MISUSE OF UNDERCOVER DRUG MONEY

DURHAM -- The State Bureau of Investigation is looking into
allegations that money used by an undercover drug officer in the
Durham County Sheriff's Office was mishandled.

The SBI was called in at the request of the Durham County Sheriff's
Office and the District Attorney's Office.

"The sheriff's office met with the DA's office about two weeks ago in
regard to one of our officers and the misallocation of some [drug]
funds,' Chief Deputy Mike Andrews said on Monday.

'The SBI has been called in to conduct an investigation into those
alleged acts,' Andrews said. "The SBI has been here with us since last
week, looking through those documents to verify that the funds are
missing.'

Drug officers routinely use money to make drug buys while working
undercover. The money is given to an officer to buy drugs as well as
to pay informants.

Andrews said he wasn't sure how much money may be involved.

He said a preliminary, criminal investigation began by the Sheriff's
Office after a discrepancy was found "by one of the officers following
through on his monthly accounts.' When it appeared there might be more
than a simple mistake involved, the SBI was called in, Andrews said.

"They've only been here a few days, and I don't know how far they've
gotten into the investigation, how far they've gone into the
paperwork,' he said. "I'm sure they'll go back quite a bit to see if
they identify anything.'

Andrews said it currently appears that only one person is the target
of the investigation.

Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Attorney General's Office,
said on Monday that "our special prosecutors have agreed to handle the
case. The SBI opened its investigation on Friday.'

Durham District Attorney Tracey Cline could not be reached for comment
Monday.