WILSON'S ARREST SPARKS RENEWED VERBAL WAR BETWEEN TASK FORCE AND DAS OFFICE

Southeast Mississippi Drug Task Force Commander Roger Williams claims the
arrest of Robert Eugene Wilson is a prime example the Jones County District
Attorney's Office isn't doing their job.

"We nabbed this guy back in November of 2001 for the same thing," Williams
said of Wilson's arrest Thursday morning on charges of possession of
precursors with intent to manufacture crystal methamphetamine. "If the DAs
office had done their job, he would've been in jail serving time instead
out on the street making more crystal meth."

Wilson was placed on $25,000 bond for the 2001 case and has been out on
that bond since his initial appearance.

Williams' main contention with the head prosecutors office is the DA
doesn't bring cases in front of grand juries so indictments can be handed
down and the judicial system can go forward. He said this is a rock-solid
case and even a blind man could present it to any grand jury in the nation
with the result being an indictment.

"Everything is here in these files we need," Williams pointed out. "The
narrative and the lab results which show levels of ether and denatured
alcohol. We have all we need."

"Not so fast," said Jones County District Attorney Grant Hedgepeth. "We
don't have Robert Bartran."

Bartran, who is currently serving as a United States Army military
policemen in Fort Hood, Texas, is an integral part of the case because
according to Hedgepeth he was the agent who executed the drug bust. This
case cannot be pursued further without his presence."

Hedgepeth pointed out in his case files stemming from the 2001 arrest the
case has been reviewed by a grand jury and continued. He also said the task
force knew this.

"The task force knew this case and two others in which Bartran was the
principle agent have been reviewed and continued by the grand jury,"
Hedgepeth said. "I honestly don't know what their complaint is about."

Williams' complaint, and that of the agents attached to the task force from
surrounding counties, is they don't want to spend man-hours "re-arresting"
people. He said Bartran doesn't need to present the case himself. Williams
or one of the other agents can present it for him.

"One of our agents showed up for a grand jury session but was told he
couldn't present it," Williams said.

"But Bartran is the person who did the investigation and is the main
witness. He needs to be here," Hedgepeth countered.

The DAs office has been trying, according to Hedgepeth, to secure a short
leave of absence for Bartran from his military duties at the DAs expense.
Bartran's presence and testimony is needed for three trials coming up in
the next court session scheduled to begin in late July.