JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST 24 DEFENDANTS

Credibility Of Informant In Drug Sting Is Questioned

Circuit Court Judge Clayburn Peeples recently dismissed charges against 24
defendants after officials said the confidential informant's credibility
was questioned.

The 24 defendants were arrested as part of one of the largest Brownsville
Police Department drug stings in recent years. The accused were mostly
small to moderate "street dealers."

Most of them were charged with sale of scheduled II controlled substance
for allegedly selling crack cocaine. They could have faced between three
and 12 years in prison, if found guilty, depending on how much they sold.

Peeples dismissed the charges on Wednesday after District Attorney General
Garry Brown requested it.

Brown read a statement in court that said the informant "committed certain
acts, during the course of the investigation, that have destroyed his
credibility as a witness."

Brown said he couldn't say how the informant compromised the cases because
it is still under investigation.

"These acts do not necessarily negate the culpability of the defendants,
but instead, seriously hamper the State's ability to prove their guilt in a
court of law," he said, according to the statement.

The informant was also involved in cases against two juveniles. Brown said
he plans to request that those charges be dismissed.

The informant has provided credible information in the past, said Mayor
Webb F. Banks. However, the informant hasn't been required to testify in
court, he said. The informant isn't living in Brownsville for safety
reasons, he said.

Local officials spent about $10,000 on the sting, which was conducted over
about six months. Haywood County sheriff deputies got involved by helping
to arrest the accused.

Banks said he was disappointed the cases were dismissed.

"With as much work as we put in it we were a little disappointed. We could
have carried it through," Banks said. "I do hope these guys who got a
second chance will not end up repeating and change their ways."

Officials don't have any plans to conduct another large sting, Banks said.

While dismissing charges against defendants in a drug sting is rare, Brown
said he could remember two other times in the past 10 years when charges
were dropped because officials couldn't locate an informant or get the
informant to court.