Pubdate: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Contact: (c) 1998 Houston Chronicle Website: http://www.chron.com/ Author: Associated Press EX-CHIEF COULD GET UP TO 50 YEARS IN DRUG CONVICTION CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- He used to put people behind bars, but now a former Premont police chief faces up to 50 years in prison after being convicted on drug charges. Robert Sanger, who has been suspended without pay, will remain in custody until his Dec. 16 sentencing. A federal jury found Sanger guilty Thursday on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of conspiring to distribute about a ton of marijuana, found at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint, and one count of knowingly accepting gifts while acting as chief. Jurors found him innocent on a fourth count -- lying to investigators. "The defendant's position in law enforcement required him to have fidelity to an oath, and that oath was to obey the law," said U.S. District Court Judge Hayden W. Head Jr. "He is lucky the jury did not convict him of the fourth count. He clearly made a false statement." Sanger, who served as chief of Premont in Jim Wells County for five years, was indicted May 13. An associate of his, Roger Lopez, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to seven years. On Monday, Lopez testified he used cocaine with Sanger and gave him several gifts, including $280 and motel accommodations. David Gonzalez, a Corpus Christi police officer assigned to work with a Drug Enforcement Administration task force, testified that phone records show 191 calls between Sanger and Lopez in 1996 and several more calls in 1997. Lopez also said Sanger gave him information about drug interdiction operations. Other co-conspirators already sentenced in the case include Ernest Huerta, who received seven years; Michael Junk, who was sentenced to 4 years; and Patricia Marie Gongora, who received five years probation. Premont is a town of about 3,000 people, about 50 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. - --- Checked-by: Don Beck