ACCUSED DEALER'S ATTORNEY STARTS FUND

Friends Trying To Raise Bail For Pinkett

SALISBURY --- The attorney for accused counterfeit drug dealer Bryan D.
Pinkett has started a fund-raising drive to help his client get out of jail.

Mr. Pinkett, 21, was arrested Feb. 19 for allegedly attempting to sell a
counterfeit illegal drug and possessing drug paraphernalia. His arrest was
initiated that day by a phone call by former City Council President and
unsuccessful mayoral hopeful Carolyn Hall who said she was traveling
through the Baker Street area to respond to a citizen's complaint about
potholes.

According to police records, when Mrs. Hall was in the area of Railroad
Avenue and Baker Street, she called the Salisbury police to report that a
man in a camouflage jacket, who was later identified as Mr. Pinkett,
allegedly tried to flag her down and sell her drugs.

A few minutes later police officers arrived and approached Mr. Pinkett near
the Baker and Charles Street area and arrested him after they found several
pieces of soap allegedly shaped like crack cocaine in his pockets.

With a trial date of Aug. 20, Mr. Pinkett is still in jail and unable to
raise his $7,500 bond. Since being locked up, Mr. Pinkett has claimed that
he believes he was a victim of Mrs. Hall's anti-crime platform. Mr. Pinkett
accepts his responsibility for crimes he did commit, however in this case
he denies ever attempting to flag down Mrs. Hall and adds he never saw her
prior to his arrest or afterwards.

Mr. Pinkett's attorney, Nathan Christopher, who finished last in the
four-man City Council district 2 primary March 31, said he has established
the Bryan Pickett Defense Fund for his client in order to help Mr. Pinkett
get out of jail. The fundraising efforts began last Saturday afternoon at
City Councilwoman LaVonzella Siggers block party on First Street, at which
time Jackie Jones was handling the money jar for contributions.

"I believe it was a publicity stunt manufactured by Carolyn Hall to help
support her claim that she was a law and order candidate," Mr. Christopher
said, "I think there was a political connotation to his arrest. He'll spend
six months or more in jail on something that we believe is a total
fabrication.

"Heaven forbid, we should go to the grocery store anymore. Don't buy soap
when the security guard at Super Giant is around because he can probably
arrest you. It's getting ridiculous."

However Mrs. Hall said there is no basis to either Mr. Pinkett's or Mr.
Christopher's claims.

"I didn't put the fake drugs in (Mr. Pinkett's) pocket and I didn't create
his previous record." Mrs. Hall said "I think the whole thing's ridiculous
and if he wasn't out there doing what he was doing I wouldn't have called
the police. If I hadn't been over there responding to Mr. (James) Cannon's
comments [at a Hotspots meeting] about potholes in the street I wouldn't
have been over there.

Mr. Cannon, who lives on Church Street, said he made his complaints known
about potholes, however, his complaints were before the City Council
several months before reiterating them at the Hotspots meeting.

"If Mrs. Hall was checking for potholes before Mr. Pinkett's arrest,
nothing's been fixed." Mr. Cannon said. "My complaint about potholes has
nothing to do with that boy's arrest. That's a big sham. She is not public
works. If she was going to respond, how come she didn't bring me out to let
me show her where they were? That boy was set up.

Checked-by: Richard Lake