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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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Stories

• Arrests follow a string of scandals
• Charges stain sheriff's 40-year career
• Transcript excerpts
• See list of the charges and those indicted

Video

• Watch the full video of the press conference

Photo gallery

• See images from Thursday

Indictment

• Read the full indictment

Messsage board

• Discuss your reaction to the indictment

One year into a corruption investigation targeting his department, Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell reportedly told a federal agent:

"If you think I'm crooked or if I got a bunch of crooked people, by God you investigate it and put me in court."

Seven months later, Cassell was shuffling into a federal courtroom in ankle chains.

A 48-count indictment brought down this week accuses sheriff's office employees of using and dealing drugs; stealing narcotics and guns from evidence and redistributing them in the community; and lying to federal investigators.

Cassell himself is accused of trying to throw federal agents off the trail to protect officers he knew were involved in illegal activity.

Most of the 20 defendants in the case, seven of whom are civilians, were rounded up from their homes before dawn Thursday by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The investigation began in March 2005 with a tip from the Philadelphia DEA office about a package containing the illegal drug ketamine, known as a date rape drug. Undercover agents brought the package to a house in Martinsville, where it was accepted by William Randall Reed of Fieldale.

Reed later told agents he rented the house from James Alden Vaught, then a sergeant with the Henry County Sheriff's Office, and paid Vaught in cash and ketamine to use the house as a drug drop, the document states. He added that he had helped Vaught sell 2 kilograms of cocaine the sergeant had seized from a drug dealer as part of an investigation.

According to the indictment, Reed also told agents that he and Henry County Deputy Bradley Scott Martin had jointly used and sold ketamine and steroids for about eight years.

Vaught resigned from the sheriff's office soon after and began cooperating with authorities in July 2005, records show. He shared mountains of evidence about corruption at the department and wore a wire during conversations with Cassell.

Here are some of the allegations in the indictment:

· School resource officer and vice officer David Allan King stole seized drugs, falsified destruction orders for them and then sold them through Vaught and civilian associates. Estimates are that multiple kilograms of cocaine, ounces of crack and hundreds of pounds of marijuana were stolen.

· Canine officer Walter R. Hairston on 10 occasions illegally took seized drugs that he was supposed to use for dog training purposes and gave them to others for sale.

· A deputy got steroids and prescription pills from Mexico for his own use and for sale to users at local gyms.

· Vaught's house was used as a spot for fellow officers to conduct extramarital affairs.

· Deputies stole guns, money and other evidence from the property room. Others were caught in possession of unregistered guns with obliterated serial numbers.

· At least 10 defendants, including the sheriff, lied to federal agents and to the grand jury and passed sensitive information on to co-defendants to help them avoid apprehension.

"It is disgraceful corruption," U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said.

Prosecutors believe Cassell knew about Vaught's distribution of cocaine and embezzlement of money and was aware of the use of steroids by members of his staff but failed to pursue investigations. In a covertly recorded conversation, Vaught told Cassell about the cocaine and Cassell said, "that's not particularly shocking" and "that's water over the dam" and nobody else needed to know about it, court records claim.

In a later conversation, according to the documents, Vaught and Cassell met in an isolated spot behind the sheriff's house. There, Vaught reported to Cassell that he thought one deputy was a "stooge" and Cassell replied that he should have fired that deputy a long time ago because he knew he used steroids.

"I said you come in here looking like King Kong. I said I'm, I'm stupid but I ain't plum foolish. I said don't insult my intelligence by denying it, it's over with," Cassell reportedly said.

When Vaught told the sheriff about the shipments of ketamine to his rental house and drug money he had earned, then told him he "lied through his teeth" to the DEA, the sheriff allegedly responded:

"See I had no damn idea or I'd of stonewalled ... at least to give you a chance to get your act together."

Prosecutors say Cassell also helped Vaught figure out a way to hide thousands of dollars in drug money.

Brownlee declined to say how much money may have been made through the alleged corruption.

On Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Urbanski released all but two of the 16 defendants who appeared before him, including Cassell, on bond. Brown and Trantham were detained temporarily until they can get attorneys for a bond hearing.

Some of the defendants resigned from the sheriff's office during the investigation. Unlike the other current sheriff's office employees, Cassell was allowed to return to work under stringent conditions.

Among others, he may not carry a firearm or talk with any co-defendants or possible witnesses.

Cassell had no comment as he left the federal courthouse, but one of his attorneys, John Lichtenstein, said he expected his client to return to work today.

Although the Henry County Board of Supervisors asked for Cassell's resignation Thursday, Lichtenstein said, "All those decisions are under way."

State law allows a circuit court judge to remove an elected official such as a sheriff if the judge receives a petition from voters who live in the official's district. The petition must be signed by enough people to equal 10 percent of the votes cast for the office in the last election.

Even with a petition, the decision is up to the judge's discretion, said Salem attorney and state House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith. He said that's unlikely without a criminal conviction or absolutely clear evidence of misconduct.

The arrest of 13 out of 94 sworn officers, including two of the top-ranking ones, put a significant dent in the department's ranks. Additionally, just this fall, Lt. Kimmy Nester was demoted from major for unknown reasons. He was not named in the indictment.

Virginia State Police Superintendent Steven Flaherty said additional troopers have been assigned to Henry County.

"I want to reassure the people of Henry County that their law enforcement response is in sound hands," he said.

Gov. Tim Kaine said he approved the decision.

"We're not going to leave the people of Henry County shorthanded at a time which will be a real challenging time for their community," he said.

Deputy County Administrator Tim Hall said Capt. Lane Perry was running the sheriff's office on Thursday and he believed everyone else scheduled to work who had not been arrested had reported.

Although County Administrator Benny Summerlin said he had been aware of the federal investigation for "some time" and his office had cooperated, it came as a shock to Hall.

He said he found out only after driving to work and seeing the sheriff's office surrounded by a swarm of law enforcement vehicles and a helicopter.

Only a few citizens had called the administration office Thursday morning, Hall said, but many may have questions in the coming days.

"Anybody that's elected, by definition people have given you their faith," Hall said, "and I'm sure there are some people who feel like they've been wronged."

The Associated Press and staff writers Mike Allen, Michael Sluss and Mason Adams contributed to this report.