Wednesday, January 30, 2002
|
Wednesday, January 30, 2002 |
|
Watson granted $100,000 bond; trial could start in June By JOHN
MUNFORD
If he can make a $100,000 bond, Jim Watson could go free while awaiting trial for murdering his wife over five years ago. In a hearing Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jackson T. Bedford Jr. imposed a host of restrictions on Watson's bond to prevent him from intimidating witnesses who might testify against him in the murder trial. Fulton County assistant District Attorney Sheila Ross argued that Watson should be denied bond, alleging that he stalked Maj. Bruce Jordan while Jordan was leading the investigation into Beverley Watson's disappearance. Watson was indicted two weeks ago by a Fulton County Grand Jury in the murder of his wife, Beverley, Jan. 18, 1997 the night Watson says she disappeared from their Fayetteville home after an argument. The case is in Fulton County's jurisdiction because Beverley Watson's remains were found in an abandoned field in south Fulton County in March 1999. The trial could take place as early as June because Watson's attorney, Lee Sexton, has filed a motion for a speedy trial. At the court hearing Monday, Bedford warned Watson to "head for cover" and leave the area immediately if he even sees a person listed on the prosecution's witness list. Bedford said Watson should be provided with a list of the prosecution's potential witnesses so he will know exactly whom to stay away from. Bedford also warned Watson not to hire anyone to approach a potential witness with the exception of his attorneys. Watson, a former police officer, also was ordered to surrender all his firearms and any police badge or identification currently in his possession. During his testimony, Watson admitted to owning a badge from the Manchester Police Department, where he served as a police officer until he "quit" in 2000. Ross argued that Watson could use the badge in an attempt to harass witnesses in the case. Watson must also notify the Fayette and Fulton sheriff's departments of the license plate and description of any vehicle he plans to drive while he is on bond, Bedford ordered. Watson also cannot drive or ride in a vehicle with illegally tinted windows, the judge said. Watson must also abide by a 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. curfew while he is on bond, the judge ordered. In opposing bond for Watson, Ross argued that he admitted stalking Jordan by driving by his house several times. "That is classic intimidation, your honor," she said. "... If he will stalk police officers ... now that he's indicted it's reasonable to infer he will stalk witnesses." Jordan testified that he feared for the safety of witnesses in the case should Watson be granted bail. Jordan testified that Watson followed him 20 or 30 times during the course of the investigation. During his testimony, Watson originally denied that he intentionally followed anyone from the Sheriff's Department, but moments later he admitted to once following a Sheriff's Department van while his sister drove his vehicle. Watson admitted to driving slowly through the Sheriff's Department's parking lot on several occasions, although he claimed he did so in looking for the agent assigned to the investigation for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Jordan said those drive-bys left several employees of the department feeling uneasy. Watson also admitted to driving by Jordan's residence twice "because I wanted to know where he lived." He denied the drive-bys were an attempt to intimidate Jordan. Jordan said he was afraid for his family's safety because of Watson's actions. "I felt as though he was trying to intimidate me and my family," Watson said. Jordan also testified about a confrontation he had while searching Watson's vehicle after he was pulled over for having illegally tinted windows. Jordan said at one point Watson tried to physically interfere with the search, causing Jordan to warn him he could be arrested for those actions. During the traffic stop, Watson's vehicle was searched and a handgun and bulletproof vest were found inside, Jordan noted, adding that the gun was loaded. Watson later sued Jordan over the traffic stop in federal court. The suit was later dismissed by the judge. At one point during the investigation, detectives placed a tracking device on Watson's vehicle, Jordan testified. That was done because a witness indicated Watson may return to the location where he left his wife's body, Jordan testified. Watson admitted to attempting to hide the vehicle on several occasions, but said he did so because authorities had already seized his wife's vehicle, leaving his vehicle as his only means of transportation. Bedford said he was mainly concerned about Watson attempting to intimidate witnesses in the case. But Watson proved he has significant ties to the community during the hearing, the judge added. Watson's attorney, Lee Sexton, pointed out that in the five years since Beverley Watson's disappearance Watson has remained in the area and continued raising the couple's two children. Sexton argued that the prosecution's case is "weak" and pointed out that the indictment indicates investigators still don't know how Beverley Watson died. Sexton asked for a bond between $25,000 and $50,000, saying Watson could have trouble making bond because his house and locksmith business are technically owned by his children. Ownership was changed because of a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Watson by Beverley Watson's father, Fred Callaway.
|
||