Benefits awarded to slain sheriff's widow

ATLANTA - The widow of slain sheriff-elect Derwin Brown will receive the $75,000 benefit for police officers killed in the line of duty. <br> <br> The state committee had previously denied benefits to Phyllis Brown because her husband had not yet taken office when he was killed on December 15 2000. <br> <br> The panel voted 6-1 Monday to change its position. <br> <br> Governor Barnes took part in a brief hearing where a lawyer argued that the soon-to-be sheriff was actively investigating corruption in DeKalb County jails and should be considered an officer of the law. <br> <br> Former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey is accused of masterminding the ambush slaying of Brown, who had beaten him in a bitter runoff election several months earlier. <br> <br> Dorsey&#39;s trial resumed Monday in Albany, where the trial was moved because of heavy publicity in metro Atlanta.