Monday, September 12, 2005 - This evening Nassau West Sheriff Kelly Bartram chatted by phone with AWOL Secretary of Defense Danny Watkins, who was in Phoenix at the time. The Sheriff asked Watkins if he knew that there was a warrant issued for his arrest. He said he was aware of it.

During the course of the conversation, Bartram learned that Watkins was to remain in Arizona for an undetermined amount of time, but probably the return to Arizona would be permanent. Bartram asked Watkins if he could come to the Capitol to handle the details of his arrest warrant, with a trip to Tombstone, of course.

Although no firm plans were made, the Capitol, already at near capacity with the addition of the President's sister, niece, nephew, and their dog, is planning for Watkins visit this weekend. By the end of the week, Watkins will have a firm answer for the Sheriff.

If Watkins does travel to the Capitol, as a formality, he will be placed under arrest by Capitol security, or perhaps the Sheriff himself. He will then be escorted to a private meeting (unshackled) with Nassau West President Kelly K. Bartram.

The President has the authority to pardon Watkins for his actions that led to the arrest warrant that was issued Thursday, August 18, 2005. If the meeting takes place, it is expected that the President will, indeed, pardon Watkins for abandoning his post last month.

According to a source close to President Bartram, "in all probability, the President will pardon his old friend when they meet this weekend. He will want a full explanation from Watkins for his actions and will probably offer any assistance he can provide."

"As the President stated last month after the issuance of the arrest warrant by the Sheriff's Department, Mr. Watkins has recently had a lot of turmoil in his personal life, and he's trying to put things back on course and move on," continued the source on the condition of anonymity.

In the event that Watkins does schedule himself at the Capitol this weekend, he and President Bartram will probably travel aboard Nassau West One to Tombstone and stay overnight in "The Town Too Tough To Die." The two will probably also discuss Watkins' future plans and his future with Nassau West.

President Bartram, learning of Watkins' arrival late this evening was happy to hear about the return of his friend. "I'm happy he's back, I hope he is, too. With any luck, things in his life have calmed down a bit, and maybe he will stay now," Bartram stated in an interview for this article.