Friday, November 03, 2006
Excerpts from recordings by FBI
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Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times
Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell walks outside the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke.
Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee talks about the investigation of the Henry County Sheriff's Office at a press conference held today at the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke.
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This is part of a conversation recorded by the FBI between Sheriff Frank Cassell and James Vaught, a former sergeant in the sheriff's office, in October 2005. According to court documents, Vaught had been caught selling drugs that had been seized from a drug dealer. He resigned from the sheriff's office and began cooperating with authorities in July 2005.
Two years earlier, Cassell had told the Martinsville Bulletin that he did not plan to seek re-election in 2007.
Frank Cassell: ... I got two years to go, James, I, I'm just wondering if I needed to be worried.
James A. Vaught: No, no.
Cassell: ... I, I mean if there's nothing in the log then there's nothing in the log that, you've, that's the only reason that I asked you....
Vaught: Right.
Cassell: ... I got two years to go. I'm going to try to keep....
Vaught: Going....
Cassell: ... our agency is as straight as I can, I sure as hell ain't going to worry about something that happened years ago....
Vaught: Yeah.
Cassell: ... that nobody knew anything about.
Vaught: All right.
Cassell: I, I got plenty to worry about every day but not that but, but like I said, that didn't surprise me, I've, I've never actually stoled anything but I've been, I haven't been as fortunate as you with women ...
Vaught: Right.
Cassell: ... but, like I say, everybody's got faults and everybody's got good points and I learned to roll with the punches. I appreciate you leaving like you did. That took the edge off of everything and thank God this thing worked out with the money, I was so afraid you was gonna, probably end up in, in court, and that would've, that would've really been bad on your family.
