INFORMANT'S ADDRESS CAUSING CONFUSION

HINTON - Who knew and when did they know? No one seemed to know Friday just
who failed to disclose the correct address for a confidential informant
used in several Summers County drug cases. Nevertheless, the first case to
go to trial that was scheduled Thursday is delayed two more months.

And each side is blaming the other.

The Kevin Thompson identified in court records as confidential informant 2
from last fall's State Police drug sting is not from Whitman, Logan County,
but from Pipestem, Summers County. And he apparently believed he was
getting at least two felony charges dismissed in return for his cooperation.

The new development may put all the cases in limbo until the court sorts
through motions. And Summers Prosecutor Jim McNeely was forced to back up
on his earlier claim that neither confidential informant received any
bargains or inducements to cooperate in the undercover sting resulting in
18 defendants' indictments by the March grand jury.

Defense attorney Joe Aucremanne said the revelation casts a shadow on the
entire group of cases. "Is Billy Jack Cales involved with Kevin Thompson in
a string of unsolved burglaries around Summers County the past few months?"

Billy Jack Cales Jr. of Alderson is identified by the state as confidential
informant 1.

Aucremanne said his investigation reveals Cales was being investigated by
police relative to burglaries and thefts around the county, yet he's never
been charged.

According to McNeely's supplemental evidence filing, Thompson of Pipestem
believed the State Police would not pursue felony charges of breaking and
entering and larceny against him if he cooperated. He also revealed he was
under investigation as an accessory before the fact.

The case against 24-year-old Shon Dewayne Jackson of Hinton was continued
from Monday until Friday because Aucremanne said the Kevin Thompson
identified by the state was not involved in the drug sting. He and his
private investigator visited Logan County. Although they found at least two
Kevin Thompsons, neither had worked in Summers County as an informant.

Aucremanne said, "He's been unfairly labeled as the confidential informant
by Prosecuting Attorney McNeely, who knew two weeks ago." He apologized for
referring to Thompson of Whitman on Monday as "Snitchin' Kevin Thompson."

He said he received notice that the Pipestem Thompson was subpoenaed in a
related juvenile drug case and the Pipestem address was on that notice -
yet McNeely claimed Monday in court he had no knowledge whether the Logan
County address was a mistake. "Apparently, they thought we'd never go to
Logan County to thoroughly investigate the case."

In his first response to defense evidence inquiries, McNeely said no deals
were offered. In a second response filed after Monday's hearing, he wrote
that Thompson had several traffic tickets unrelated to the case dismissed
by State Police. A subsequent response filed Thursday indicated that after
an interview with Thompson earlier in the day, he learned of the inducements.

McNeely said Aucremanne is the one who concealed Thompson's identity as a
delaying tactic to continue the trial. He said the attorney knew about the
error two or three months ago, yet waited until a week before trial to
raise the issue.

The prosecutor said he hadn't talked to Thompson and didn't know where he
lived. The case of mistaken identity was a computer error when police ran
Thompson's name through a criminal database.

Jackson remains free on bond until his Oct. 25 trial.