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

"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

death lawsuit filed against Watson by Beverley Watson's father, Fred Callaway.