CRAIG COUNTY DROPS PLANS TO PURSUE DUI CASE

Craig County officials have shelved plans to appeal the dismissal of a
misdemeanor DUI charge filed against herbologist George Singleton.

Meanwhile, a defense attorney who had pledged to make Craig County
prosecutors pay for ``wrongly prosecuting'' Singleton has backed out of the
case.

Assistant District Attorney Clint Ward said his office would not attempt to
overturn an Oct. 3 decision rendered by District Judge H.M. ``Bud'' Wyatt
III.

Wyatt, a Keating appointee, stopped Singleton's trial at the beginning of
its second day by granting a defense motion to dismiss the DUI charge filed
against Singleton. A 12-person jury heard the testimony in the case but was
sent home by Wyatt without deliberating.

``We've talked about it, and we've decided it's nothing more than a simple
misdemeanor and not worth appealing,'' Ward said. ``I still believe we did
the right thing under the law by prosecuting Mr. Singleton. If (Singleton)
wants to sue us, he can bring it on.''

Singleton, who is visiting his girlfriend in Florida, was not available for
comment. His 74-year-old moth er, Louise E. Hall of Indianapolis, remains
angered by her son's incarceration and prosecution in Craig County.

``Do I think it is fair that the district attorney is not going to appeal
the judge's decision?'' Hall, a retired teacher, asked. ``I don't think
it's a matter of being fair but a matter of being honest. If they knew
George, they would understand there is no way he would put himself in the
position he was accused of.''

Ward pressed the driving-under-the-influence charge against Singleton amid
clamors of drug profiling and racism. He now wants to see the incident and
its national media attention go away, he said.

He has fought back allegations of wrongful prosecution made by Singleton's
defense team -- Vinita attorneys James Hadley and Thomas McGeady.

Meanwhile, McGeady has stepped away from plans to sue Craig County on
Singleton's behalf, he said.

``It is the decision of the law partners to withdraw our services from the
case,'' McGeady said.

Before his decision to withdraw, McGeady had characterized Singleton's case
as the ``strongest defense'' case he had seen in his 22-year law career.

McGeady had been very vocal in condemning Ward leading up to Singleton's
trial but offered no comment when asked about his decision to withdraw.

Singleton learned last week that he would need to find another attorney.
McGeady said the 49-year-old Rastafarian is seeking the services of a civil
rights attorney in Tulsa.

Many observers believe that Singleton should not have been tried for
allegedly driving under the influence of an intoxicant after he tested
negative for drugs. He was arrested Feb. 27 on the Will Rogers Turnpike and
held for 25 days in the Craig County Jail in Vinita. He eventually agreed
to pay a $25 fine for an expired tag.

Ward exposed an alleged plan by Hadley and McGeady to use Singleton's case
to harm Ward's bid for district judge, he said. A key defense witness, who
offered expert testimony on Singleton's behalf, serves as Judge Wyatt's
re-election campaign manager. Hadley and McGeady are known campaign
supporters of Wyatt.

Singleton's case has caused disturbing personal divisions among Craig
County court officials. Ward and Hadley, once friends on a professional
level, are not talking. Hadley said they had always maintained a
professional relationship that leaned toward a friendship before
Singleton's trial.

Hadley said he wrote a letter of support on Ward's behalf when Ward was
seeking the appointment to Wyatt's post. Their relationship is now
``nonexistent.''

Omer Gillham can be reached at 581-8301.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson