Source: Tulsa World (OK) Contact: http://www.tulsaworld.com Pubdate: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 Author: Bill Braun EX-CHIEF PLEADS NO CONTEST TO DRUG COUNT Sentencing for Don Able, who is the former chief of police in Collinsville, is scheduled for July 17. Former Collinsville Police Chief Don Abel pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of distributing a controlled drug to a former dispatcher two years ago. Sentencing for Abel, 58, is set for July 17. Tulsa District Judge Ned Turnbull made no finding of guilt. He ordered Abel, who remains free on bail, to perform 80 hours of community service and directed the Department of Corrections to conduct a background report. Assistant District Attorney Larry Edwards will recommend a two-year sentence. Defense attorney Everett Bennett said he expects Abel to receive a deferred sentence, in which the case would be dismissed with no conviction if Abel followed the requirements of a two-year probation. Abel was charged in August 1996 with delivering ephedrine to Cherry Fifer, a Collinsville dispatcher from 1989 until 1992. Abel -- then police chief of Collinsville -- was arrested June 26, 1996, at the Saratoga Motor Hotel, 10117 E. 11th St. At a preliminary hearing, Fifer said Abel appeared "in full uniform" for a rendezvous at the Tulsa motel. She testified that on several occasions Abel had mentioned the idea of exchanging drugs for sex. Fifer said Abel handed her two small plastic bags before FBI agents entered the room and arrested him. No sexual activity occurred, she said. Bennett maintained Tuesday that Abel went to the motel for "strictly law enforcement" purposes. Abel did not go there to have a sexual encounter and did "not intend to deliver a controlled substance," Bennett said. Abel was suspended from duty by the Collinsville City Commission in July 1996 before being fired as police chief three months later. Turnbull previously denied a motion to dismiss the charge, based on Bennett's contention that ephedrine is "commonly sold over the counter" for legitimate use. At a 1996 preliminary hearing, a police chemist indicated that the ephedrine detected in powdery contents tested in this case was not in the tablet or dosage form associated with an over-the-counter drug. Ephedrine was originally approved as an asthma fighter and has been marketed as producing euphoria, increased sexual awareness and enhanced athletic performance. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)