Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Henry Co. man gets bond in corruption case
In 2005, the suspect in the county sheriff case had said a co-defendant should be shot.
A man suspected of helping sell seized drugs in Henry County was granted bond Monday despite prosecutors' concerns about a threatening comment caught on tape.
A covertly recorded conversation between Ronald Trantham, 46, and a cooperating federal witness is one of many that may become evidence in the corruption case against 20 people, including Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell and 12 of his current and former deputies.
According to Tom Bondurant, criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office, some 100 tapes are part of the case, and almost every defendant was secretly recorded at some time, most by former Sgt. James Vaught, who assisted the authorities.
In a conversation with Vaught, Trantham allegedly said co-defendant Brad Martin had better "watch what he is doing because they will find him in a ditch with a bullet in his a--."
Court records show Trantham later said they should "just shoot" Martin.
But Trantham's attorney, Tom Jackson, said Martin's sister has been living with Trantham for 25 years and it does not make sense that he would threaten someone who is practically family.
Because of that and the length of time since the threat was reportedly made in August 2005, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Urbanski said he would not hold Trantham until trial. He released him on bond with the condition that Trantham may not have any contact with Martin or any other co-defendant.
Also on Monday, former Henry County school resource officer David Allan King turned himself in to authorities. King, who was also once in charge of the sheriff's office's vice squad, is accused of stealing police-seized drugs and reselling them.
He was released on bond and allowed to return to his new home in Illinois under the supervision of a probation officer.
Cassell, who was granted bond Thursday and is allowed to continue working at the sheriff's office, had not returned to work as of Monday. The Henry County Board of Supervisors called for his resignation last week.
One of Cassell's bond conditions is that he may not talk to any potential witnesses, and Bondurant has said the investigation continues into the Henry County government "in general."
