INVESTIGATOR TURNS HIMSELF IN TO FBI

A veteran Richmond County narcotics investigator pleaded not guilty in
federal court today to drug and conspiracy charges. Tyrone Williams, a
veteran Richmond County Sheriff Investigator assigned to the narcotics
unit surrendered to authorities this morning at the Augusta FBI office
with defense attorney Jacque Hawk. He was photographed and
fingerprinted at the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

Investigator Williams pleaded not guilty to drug and conspiracy
charges at a 3 p.m. arraignment hearing. The seven-count indictment
charges Investigator Williams with conspiracy to possess and
distribute cocaine and the misuse if his office, among other charges.
Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength scheduled a press conference
at 4 p.m. to discuss the case.

Sheriff Strength suspended the veteran officer on Jan. 2 while the
sheriff's office, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI investigated
his actions.

The sheriff later said his agency had information as far back as 1999
that Investigator Williams was involved in criminal activity.

"It would have been very easy for us at that time to terminate him,
but then we could not have proceeded with the criminal investigation
and he could have very easily become someone else's problem," Sheriff
Strength said Jan. 23.

"If we have information that any of our folks are involved in criminal
acts, we will do everything in our power to make a case against those
folks."

Evidence made public during a Jan. 23 trial made it clear that federal
prosecutors had evidence Investigator Williams was aiding drug dealers.

During the trial for drug suspect Catecia Godbee, jurors heard
portions of a secretly recorded audio tape that included this
statement from the defendant:

"I got a friend, a guy who is a narcotics police officer, so I called
him and he said he'd go down to (the sheriff's office) and see if they
were bringing him there," Ms. Godbee said on the tape.

Police said that friend was Investigator Williams.

Through her connection with Investigator Williams, Ms. Godbee was able
to connect co-defendant Clifford Todd Davis to a police officer who
could help protect him and his business, which was trafficking
thousands of pounds of marijuana into Augusta, prosecutor said.

In court, jurors heard evidence Investigator Williams planned to get
drugs seized in narcotics arrests and give them to Mr. Davis to sell.

Investigator Williams joined the sheriff's office in 1987 as a deputy
and was promoted to narcotics investigator in 1995.

Sheriff Strength said officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office did
not believe there was sufficient evidence against the investigator
when they first learned of alleged wrong-doing. They wanted to build a
case over time, the sheriff said.