DA'S OFFICE TAKES OVER FAKE DRUGS INVESTIGATION

DALLAS - Facing more than $200,000 in bills from special prosecutors
investigating the city's fake drugs scandal, the Dallas County district
attorney has decided that his office will handle the remaining criminal
cases to hold down costs.

Veteran prosecutor Toby Shook was appointed to handle the remaining charges
against a group of former Dallas officers and police informants.

Head special prosecutor Dan Hagood quietly stepped down following the March
conviction of former Dallas police officer Mark De La Paz, the detective at
the center of a series of fraudulent arrests and questionable police work.

Dozens of innocent people, mostly Mexican immigrants, were arrested and
jailed. Three informants who worked with De La Paz on the cases have
admitted to a complicated scheme to fabricate fake drugs out of crushed
billiards chalk and set up people for arrest.

Hagood, an attorney in private practice, has headed up the criminal
investigation since shortly after De La Paz was acquitted on federal civil
rights charges related to the scandal in November 2003.

Hagood and two deputy special prosecutors were to be paid about $100 per
hour, the same as a court-appointed attorney. Hagood said he has not
submitted a bill for his services. The deputy special prosecutors, who
worked significantly fewer hours than Hagood, have submitted bills totaling
$192,687.

Funding for the investigation came from revenues from drug asset forfeitures.