EX-MACON NARCOTICS OFFICER INDICTED

PERRY - A Houston County grand jury Tuesday indicted a Macon police officer
on a charge of violation of oath by a public officer.

Raymond Cross of Byron was also indicted on a charge of obstruction of a law
enforcement officer. He is accused of tipping off a suspect to a pending
police drug raid in Perry.

Cross, a former narcotics officer for the Macon Police Department, was
placed on administrative leave with pay upon his indictment Tuesday, said
Melanie Hofmann, public information officer for the department.

Cross previously had been on administrative leave with pay for several
months while under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He
later was brought back on duty on the police desk, Hofmann said.

Although Cross was indicted in Houston County, Kelly Burke, the county's
district attorney, recused himself from the case, and a special prosecutor
was appointed by the state attorney general's office.

According to the indictment, Cross is accused of obstructing law enforcement
officers with the Perry and Macon police departments and with a drug task
force between Dec. 30, 2003, and Jan. 5, 2004, during an investigation by
"informing the target of a pending investigation."

The alleged conduct was a willful and intentional violation of Cross' oath
of office, according to the indictment.

Frank Hogue, a Macon attorney representing Cross, said Tuesday that Cross is
not guilty.

"We plan to vigorously defend this case," Hogue said. "There will be no
deals. He did not tip anyone to any investigation."

In an informal, impromptu hearing earlier Tuesday, Houston County Superior
Court Judge George Nunn ruled against allowing Cross to testify before the
grand jury, Hogue said. Hogue expressed disappointment because he said that
once indicted, a police officer's career is finished.

"We had hoped to avoid that by speaking to the grand jury," Hogue said.

If the crime the officer is accused of occurred in the performance of
duties, then the officer is allowed to testify before the grand jury, Hogue
said. The special prosecutor argued, Hogue said, that tipping off an
informant was not part of Cross' police duties. But Hogue argued that Cross
said something to the informant that the district attorney interpreted as a
tip. But Cross only made a casual comment based on no actual knowledge that
the informant was being investigated, Hogue said.

Hogue said he plans to file a motion to quash the grand jury indictment
because Cross was denied his right to testify before the grand jury.

The GBI had turned its investigative file over to Burke to determine whether
charges were warranted. Burke previously said he wanted to avoid the
"appearance of impropriety" and asked the state to appoint a special
prosecutor. Burke declined to comment Tuesday.

Sumter County District Attorney Cecilia M. Cooper was listed on the
indictment as the prosecutor.