GRAND JURY INDICTS EX-CHIEF DEPUTY

A Chambers County grand jury indicted former chief deputy Dearl Hardy on
multiple charges Friday.

Hardy is expected to turn himself in Monday, sources close to the
investigation said. Attorney Greg Cagle, who represents Hardy, declined to
comment on the indictments, but said his client has done "absolutely
nothing wrong."

Sheriff Monroe Kreuzer declined to comment.

District Attorney Michael Little did not return phone calls to his office
Friday.

An indictment means that a grand jury has determined that there is enough
evidence to justify the need for a trial.

Hardy had served with the Chambers County Sheriff's Department since Jan.
1, 2001, after he was hired by Kreuzer.

Prior to working at the sheriff's department, Hardy had been employed at a
juvenile offender boot camp and he had worked for the Chambers County
Narcotics Task Force.

Hardy is the fourth official from the Chambers County Sheriff's Department
to be indicted in the past two months.

Last month, three deputies were indicted on several charges. Two deputies
were charged with falsifying government documents, but said they were
ordered to do so by Hardy.

Former deputies John Joslin and Brett Hulsey were both charged with
falsifying a government document. Joslin was also charged with aggravated
perjury and officials oppression.

Their indictments stemmed from the September drunken driving arrest of
Vernon Coates.

Following his indictment, Joslin said Hardy ordered he and Hulsey to file
false charges against Coates, or else they would lose their jobs.

Little has dropped all pending cases against Coates as a result of the
indictments.

Cagle said his client has taken and passed a polygraph examination in which
he stated that he did not order the deputies to file any drunken driving
charges against Coates.

Hardy was terminated from the sheriff's department last month for violating
county policies and procedures. Although Kreuzer declined to discuss the
termination, Chambers County is facing potential litigation because of an
agreement between Hardy and the Hill Country Dog Center for the $40,000
purchase of four drug dogs.

The county has paid for one of the dogs, but still owes money for the other
three.

Chambers County Commissioner Bill Wallace said he hoped the matter would be
resolved quickly, for better or worse.

"Chambers County's had enough publicity over this matter," he said. "I hope
he gets a speedy trial and we get it over with."

Although an indictment is not a conviction of guilt, Wallace said that if
Hardy is convicted it will send a message that peace officers are not above
the law.

"Naturally, you always hate to see someone who's in the high ranks of the
department run afoul of the law," he said. "If he is convicted, it will
prove that policemen are people just like everyone else and when they break
the law, they have to pay."