AGENT TESTIFIES ABOUT DRUG RAID

SALLISAW -- An agent in the Sequoyah County District Attorney's Task
Force testified Thursday about a chaotic scene shortly after a 1999
drug raid that left one Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper dead and
another injured. Clint Johnson, now a field supervisor for the task
force, said he worked to save trooper David "Rocky" Eales, who had
been shot while trying to serve a search and arrest warrant on Kenneth
Eugene Barrett, 42, of Vian. Eales died of his wounds.

"I remember seeing the glow of the lights (from the highway patrol
vehicles)," Johnson said. "I heard one of the troopers say that they
had two down, and one hurt pretty badly. I could hear them yelling."

Johnson was the first witness to testify at Barrett's trial. Barrett
is charged with first-degree murder, shooting with intent to kill and
discharging a firearm with intent to kill for his part in the Sept.
24, 1999, shoot-out. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in
Barrett's second trial. The first ended in a mistrial more than a year
ago.

Johnson said that after getting out of his pickup, he retrieved a
medical bag and called for Cherokee County Sheriff Delena Goss, who
had previous experience as an emergency room nurse. Johnson said Eales
was unresponsive.

Another trooper drove Eales, Johnson and Goss to an ambulance that had
been sent to the scene. Johnson said he went to the hospital, where he
learned Eales had died.

Prosecutors say Barrett, who was being investigated for drug activity,
fired at troopers as the raid began. Barrett's attorney, John Echols,
contends that Barrett was acting in self-defense.

Johnson and highway patrol Maj. Kerry Pettingill also detailed how the
raid was planned.

On Sept. 20, 1999, county authorities obtained a "no-knock,"
day-or-night warrant to search Barrett's home and arrest him. Johnson
testified that this type of document allows officers to serve a
warrant and make arrests without announcing their presence beforehand.

Officers knew from previous visits with Barrett that he had weapons at
his home, including an assault rifle, authorities said.

In the next few days, members of the patrol's tactical team went over
plans for the raid. Troopers observed the house from the air and while
driving by, Pettingill said. They practiced the raid at nearby Camp
Gruber.

Officers debated the time to begin the raid, Pettingill said. They
wanted to catch Barrett asleep. In previous statements, Echols said
Barrett was awake when the tactical team arrived at 12:30 a.m.

Plans first were to have two officers watch the home from a hidden
location and give last-minute details to the rest of the group. But
they decided against it, fearing that the surveillance team -- called
"creeper/snipers" -- might be spotted, Pettingill said.

Pettingill, who at the time was in charge of the patrol's tactical
teams, said he also was worried about the number of people on the
raid. In addition to five patrol vehicles that went to the house,
members from the drug task force, two county sheriff's offices,
Sallisaw police and two prosecutors and a park ranger met the tactical
team before the raid. Up to a dozen vehicles were involved, testimony
indicated.