TESTIMONY PAINTS HARSH PICTURE

Retired Deputy Describes Repression In Chatham Sheriff's Office

PITTSBORO -- Testimony in the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a
former Chatham County sheriff's deputy painted a portrait of an
organization that quashed dissent in the ranks and retaliated against those
who spoke out against wrongdoing.

Former Sgt. Dan Phillips is suing former Sheriff Ike Gray for wrongful
termination. Phillips contends he was fired in 2001 for alerting the FBI
about the theft of marijuana from the old county landfill.

Phillips also contends he was fired because of his attempt to expose racism
in the Chatham County schools. He said sheriff's officials suspected he
made a tape recording of a former high school principal using racial slurs,
something he denied during testimony Friday.

Gray has said he fired Phillips for insubordination.

Phillips, who joined the department in 1996, said he was out of work for
two years after being fired. He said he tried unsuccessfully to get
numerous law enforcement jobs. Phillips now works as an animal control
officer in Lee County.

Phillips' lawsuit sheds light on the theft of about 4,000 pounds of
marijuana that was stolen from a surplus Army truck parked behind the
Sheriff's Office. An additional 1,000 pounds was later taken from the
landfill. The drugs, which had a street value of $5 million, had been
seized in February 2000 during an undercover sting.

Ronnie Collins, a member of the Chatham County school board, testified for
the plaintiff and supported Phillips' claim that he was unjustly let go.
Collins said he told Gray to drop the internal affairs investigation into
who made the tape because it was a school personnel matter that should not
be handled by the Sheriff's Office.

Collins testified that Phillips was the main target of that investigation.

"[Gray] told me he was under tremendous pressure to find out who made the
tape and [to] punish them," he said. "I asked him if he was looking at Dan,
and he said yes."

Former Deputy David Seagroves, who was also investigated in connection with
the tape, testified that when he spoke up about racist incidents at Chatham
Central High School, he was told by sheriff's officials not to get
involved. He also testified that sheriff's officials were focusing their
internal investigation on Phillips.

Seagroves said he retired in 2001 after 24 years with the Sheriff's Office
out of fear that he was going to lose his job.

"I felt like my job was uncertain, and it [weighed] on my soul for months
and months. I couldn't sleep. I would wake up in the middle of the night,
walk outside and just holler," he said.

On cross-examination, Seagroves testified that he was not privy to the
circumstances of Phillips' firing. He also said he was not demoted or
disciplined in any way before his retirement as a result of the internal
affairs investigation.

The trial is scheduled to resume Monday.