SHERIFF ACQUITTED OF SUSPECTED HAZARDOUS WASTE SPILL

ORDWAY (AP) - The Crowley County sheriff Wednesday was acquitted of all
charges stemming from allegedly spilling a barrel of hazardous waste
material on the ground at a suspected drug lab and then lying about it.

A jury of seven men and five women deliberated for four hours and found
Sheriff Jeff Keyes innocent of attempting to influence a public servant and
attempting to commit a hazardous waste violation.

"I always concurred my innocence on this and I am relieved," Keyes said
after the acquittal that came after a three day trial. " I just can't say
anything else."

Judge Robert Ogburn earlier dismissed two evidence tampering charges.

Keyes took the stand Tuesday and said he did nothing out of the ordinary
when he opened the barrel during an investigation at an Ordway
methamphetamine operation Oct. 2.

He said the 55-gallon barrel did not seem to be full when he opened it as
it rested on its side.

"When I went to unscrew it, the lid started to hiss, which meant that there
was pressure in it and about that time the lid popped off and I was
standing right in front of it. I didn't expect anything to come out, but it
did," Keyes said. "I wasn't attempting to hide anything. I was doing my job."

On Monday, deputies Matt Racine and Steven Becker testified that the
sheriff acted as if the spills were already there in front of Otero County
Health Department officials.

Keyes said that it never dawned on him to tell health department officials
he had spilled the contents. District Attorney Rod Fouracre asked Keyes why
he opened only one barrel.

"I wanted to see if there was meth sludge in the barrel - it was the only
barrel that I did not know the content of," Keyes said. "I had no intention
of doing anything wrong."