Two Augusta officers indicted on drug charges give testimony

AUGUSTA - A veteran Augusta narcotics officer and a former member of the Richmond County sheriff&#39;s crime suppression unit pitted their credibility against a prosecution list brimming with convicted drug dealers on Friday. <br> <br> Ralph Tyrone Williams, 36, and Joseph Ellick, 34, testified Friday that they are innocent of the drug trafficking charges that were handed down to them by a federal grand jury in February. <br> <br> They are accused of conspiring from 1997 through August 2000 to possess and distribute more than 50 grams of crack. The indictment also alleged that Williams extorted money from drug dealer <br> <br> ``It was only talk on my part; that&#39;s why it never happened,&#39;&#39; Ellick testified about statements he made to Ernest Smith as they discussed what they would do to a Columbia, S.C. drug dealer coming to Augusta. <br> <br> This week, the jury heard tape recordings of Ellick and Smith discussing how they could rob the dealer of his drugs and get away with it, The Augusta Chronicle reported in its Saturday editions. <br> <br> Ellick also testified that he was lying and acting like he was conspiring with Smith because that was the best way to keep him cooperating. <br> <br> Smith wasn&#39;t a formal confidential informant, but he was a source of information that helped the crime suppression team make dozens of misdemeanor arrests in drug areas, Ellick said. <br> <br> The jury is expected to begin deliberations by Monday afternoon.