Pubdate: Fri, 24 Oct 2003
Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL)
Copyright: 2003sThe Advertiser Co.
Contact:  http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088
Author: Neil Probst

POLICE CHIEF FACES CHARGE IN DRUG CASE

Mosses Police Chief Henry Gordon was arrested Thursday and charged with 
drug possession, the Lowndes County town's mayor said.

Gordon, 42, was arrested about 11:30 a.m. by officials with the attorney 
general's office and the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force in addition to U.S. 
law enforcement officers from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms, 
Lowndes County Sheriff Willie Vaughner said.

"His arrest was enough to suspend him without pay pending the final legal 
outcome of the situation," the mayor said.

"The fact that the police chief has been formally charged with possession 
of a controlled substance -- crack cocaine -- is sufficient to justify the 
immediate action of the mayor and City Council," he added.

Gordon was in the Montgomery County Detention Facility Thursday night after 
his transfer from the Lowndes County Jail about 4:30 p.m., Vaughner said.

Gordon was facing a $20,000 bond for possession of a controlled substance 
and an ethics violation.

Vaughner said he moved Gordon from the Lowndes jail because Gordon knows 
employees who work in the facility.

While the police chief's case is pending, Hill said Vaughner's department 
will provide police protection for the Mosses area.

"The Lowndes County Sheriff's Department will provide patrols until the 
mayor and City Council convene to take further action with regard to public 
safety in Mosses," Hill said.

Gordon was in the news Thursday after he responded Wednesday to a traffic 
accident.

Although Gordon was outside his jurisdiction, he responded quickly in the 
afternoon to help a woman motorist who apparently lost control of her 
vehicle and was trapped inside the car when it turned upside down on U.S. 
80 in Burkville. Gordon stayed with the woman and tried to comfort her as 
he and others waited for medical help to arrive.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman