Powell Breaks Silence, Says He Dreads Prospect of Prison

In his first public comments since he was convicted two months ago of violating Rodney G. King’s civil rights, Officer Laurence M. Powell said Tuesday that he is spending his time answering mail from around the country and nervously dreading the possibility of going to prison.

“That’s all I have been thinking about since the day of the verdict,� Powell said in a brief interview after a hearing in federal court. “All I can do is keep on fighting.�

In the two months since a federal jury convicted Powell and Sgt. Stacey C. Koon of violating King’s civil rights, Powell has remained mostly out of public view. He wrote a column for the newspaper published by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, but unlike some of his co-defendants, he has avoided television appearances and interviews. After Tuesday’s hearing, he consented to an interview with The Times, but, on his lawyer’s advice, declined to answer any questions dealing with the case or his upcoming sentencing.

Powell said he has spent almost the entire past two months at home. Police officers from across the country have written to express their sympathy, Powell said, adding that he reads and responds to each letter, taking solace in their support.

Friends of Powell’s have said that he was badly shaken by the convictions and that the nervous cheerfulness he displayed throughout the federal trial has given way to gloom. Powell conceded that it has been difficult to get his mind off the possibility that he may soon be heading to prison.

“It’s impossible to think about anything else,� he said.

Prosecutors have indicated that they will seek long prison sentences for Powell and Koon. In an internal memorandum last month, they calculated the range of sentences for Powell at between seven and nine years. The legal maximum for violating the civil rights law is 10 years.

Powell’s lawyer, Michael P. Stone, asked U.S. District Judge John G. Davies for permission to allow Powell to travel out of state next month for a 12-day family vacation. Prosecutors did not object to the request.

Powell also asked that William Kopeny, a highly regarded lawyer from Orange County, join Stone in representing him on his appeals and during his hearing for a new trial. Davies warned Powell that Kopeny had a potential conflict of interest because he did some work for Officer Theodore J. Briseno during last year’s state trial, but Powell waived the right to raise that issue. Briseno, a co-defendant, was acquitted in the federal trial.

Powell said he has turned his attention to possible appeals and a request for a new trial as his Aug. 4 sentencing approaches.

“I’m just really playing the waiting game,� Powell said. “Even if the fat lady has sung, I’m going to keep on fighting as long as I can.�