State Senator Charged By The Associated Press, May 5, 2005 A federal grand jury has indicted state Senator Johnny Ray Turner of Drift, charging the lawmaker and two others with mail fraud related to Turner's 2000 election campaign. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Lexington announced the indictments Thursday afternoon. Two others indicted with Turner, Ross Harris and Loren Glenn Turner, were convicted of similar charges in a separate case and are scheduled for sentencing in July. Turner's attorney, Brent Caldwell of Lexington, issued a written statement Tuesday saying he expected the senator to be charged in relation to the campaign finance reports he filed for the 2000 campaign. Residents in Turner's hometown had varying reactions to the news. "I hate to hear such a thing about him being from Floyd County and all. That's really surprising. I hate to hear that that might be true," said Summer Bailey, a resident of Floyd County. "I know Johnny, and he's probably one of the most honest people I've known over the years in my whole life, and I really hate to see something like this happen to a guy like him," said Eddy Clark, a resident of Prestonsburg. Other people said they weren't sure if Turner's guilty, but if he is, he should be treated like a normal citizen. "People like us get in trouble for stuff like that everyday, and I don't think they should be treated any different. They should get in trouble like we do," said Roy Stump. Caldwell has said Turner will not resign his Senate seat. Some residents were glad to hear that news, others were not. "I would really like to see him stay, and I hope it all works out for him," Clark said. John Tackett, a resident of Floyd County, had a different opinion. "As long as they can get somebody in there that's reliable. I mean mail fraud... that's not really reliable. You can't bid on somebody like that," said Tackett. Turner is the Senate's second-ranking Democrat as caucus chairman.