FRIENDS RALLY FOR CASSELL

ROANOKE -- About a dozen family members and at least 40 friends,
neighbors and church members packed into a crowded courtroom here
Tuesday to show their support for former Henry County sheriff H. Frank Cassell.

After U.S. District Judge James C. Turk sentenced Cassell to eight
months in prison and a $15,000 fine for making a false statement to a
federal agent, supporters crowded around him and his wife Margaret,
offering hugs and handshakes. Outside the courtroom, several wiped
away tears as they discussed the judge's decision.

Olaf Hurd of Ridgeway, who has known Cassell since the 1960s, said
the sentence, which fell within the government's guidelines, would
have been more lenient if Turk knew the Cassell he knows.

"The judge didn't know Frank," Hurd said. "His men let him down. The
only thing he's guilty of is being too good to his men."

It was a statement that echoed what Cassell's attorney, John
Lichtenstein, said in court. He depicted Cassell, 69, as a
compassionate man who was all but trapped by James Vaught, a former
deputy who came to him for help. Vaught, who was working as a
government informant, persuaded Cassell to help him secure a loan so
Vaught could launder thousands of dollars in what he said was drug
money, Lichtenstein said.

Cassell later lied to an FBI agent when he denied knowing how Vaught
got the money.

Although what Cassell did was wrong, he did it not for personal gain
but because he wanted to help a man who had fallen on hard times,
Lichtenstein argued.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Bondurant disagreed, saying Vaught did
not "bamboozle" Cassell with a sob story; instead, the sheriff
volunteered to be a spy for Vaught.

"He agreed to make sure a drug dealer would not get caught," the
prosecutor said.

Hurd, for one, was not persuaded.

"He's a kind man who always wanted to help any way he could," he said.

His wife, Jackie Hurd, agreed.

"You can take a $1,000 bill and stomp on it and tear it, but people
will still want it," she said. "He's (Cassell) been stomped on, but
he's still the wonderful man that we know. He's going to come through
this and come out victorious."

Like the Hurds, many who made the trip to Roanoke are members of
Cassell's church, Hillcrest Baptist. Deacon Ken Engle and his wife,
Donna, were among the supporters.

Ken Engle said Cassell's sentence was too much and he should have not
received any jail time because of the way the investigation against
him was conducted.

"He was set up," Ken Engle said.

The Engles said they had hoped Cassell would receive a suspended sentence.

In addition to church members, neighbors and friends, other
supporters included Cassell's five sisters, two daughters, a niece
and other relatives. They declined to comment about the case.

Although the majority of those in the courtroom seemed to support
Cassell, not everyone was sympathetic. Former Henry County sheriff
James Rogers said he had hoped Cassell would receive a stiffer
sentence than the judge handed down.

"I'll tell you my opinion of Cassell. He's a disgrace to law
enforcement," Rogers said. " ... I think it's really sad that public
trust" was broken.

Nevertheless, Rogers said he was "satisfied" with the sentence.

"I think justice has been served," he said.

Joe Francis, a retired Virginia state trooper, spoke on Cassell's
behalf during Tuesday's hearing. He testified that Cassell saved his
life after he was stabbed during an arrest in 1969.

After hearing the judge's decision, Francis could not say whether he
thought it was appropriate.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," he said.