COLEMAN STRIKES AGAIN

Tom Coleman, the undercover agent involved in the controversial drug bust
in Tulia (see "Color of Justice," by Nate Blakeslee, June 23, 2000), is in
trouble again.

Allegations of civil rights violations spurred the U.S. Justice Department
to investigate the Tulia bust, and the credibility of Coleman's testimony
has also come under scrutiny in the ongoing investigation. News of that
investigation has been reported everywhere from TO. to The New York Times,
but apparently not everyone has gotten the word. Now the itinerant lawman
has been fired from another drug task force, reportedly for abusing his
power as an officer.

Working for the Southeast Dallas County/Ellis County Task Force, Coleman
went undercover to set up a series of small buys in the Waxahachie area,
just as he had in Tulia. Just before the cases went to trial, however,
Coleman was suddenly fired.

Ellis County District Attorney Joe Grubb, who hired Coleman and assigned
him to the task force, won't say exactly why Coleman was canned in late
April. According to several defense attorneys with clients from the bust,
however, Coleman was accused of mistreating a confidential informant who
helped him make the cases.

According to a source close to the case, who asked not to be named,
the confidential informant accused Coleman of sexually harassing her.
When she refused his advances, Coleman allegedly revealed her name to one
of the defendants she had snitched on, who subsequently beat her up. The
D.A.'s office is reportedly investigating other allegations about
improprieties committed by Coleman while on the job in Waxahachie, though
Grubb said he currently had no plans to file charges against Coleman. Grubb
said he was not aware of Coleman's history when he hired him.

In the meantime, these allegations have prompted several area defense
attorneys to take a closer look at Coleman's background, according to
attorney Mark Griffith. "Our position now is that not one of these cases
should go to prosecution' Griffith said, although a couple of defendants
from the sting have already pled guilty. "I would be hard-pressed to tell a
client of mine to plead out based on evidence provided by Tom Coleman,
because he has zero credibility," he said.