3RD INFORMANT DENIES INFO ON GIBBONS

On Monday, yet a third police informant took the witness stand in the Dale
Moroni Gibbons drug and child endangerment prosecution to say a Salt Lake
County Sheriff's detective twisted his words.

Merrill Ray Chandler -- serving jail time for Ecstasy distribution --
testified Detective Doug Lambert's rendition of their conversation in a
police report "ranged from completely a lie to somewhat erroneous. I read
what I supposedly said and I was furious."

Thursday, two other men identified by police as confidential informants --
one a convicted drug dealer, the other facing stalking charges -- denied
giving Lambert information about Gibbons, the former chief financial
officer of Zions Bancorporation, that appeared in an affidavit to obtain a
warrant to search his Holladay home.

The three informants were called by defense attorneys, who said they wanted
the testimony put on the record to preserve it for future use.

On June 21, 2001, police allegedly found nearly an ounce of methamphetamine
in Gibbons' nightstand and pornographic magazines in his 15-year-old
daughter's bedroom.

Nine days earlier, paramedics called to the home found the girl unconscious
- -- apparently from ingesting alcohol and an unknown substance believed to
be the date-rape drug GHB, or the animal tranquilizer called ketamine.
Gibbons allegedly admitted he had taken the girl that night to a nightclub
to "party," according to documents filed in 3rd District Court.

Gibbons, 41, was charged with drug possession, child endangerment and
dealing in harmful material to a minor -- all third-degree felonies, each
punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Chandler testified he never saw Gibbons or Gibbons' daughter use drugs, as
stated in the police report.

Asked to comment about the veracity of the informants, Deputy Salt Lake
District Attorney Kent Morgan said it would be for the judge or jury who
hears the case to determine issues of witness credibility. "At that
juncture, we feel confident that these characterizations by the defense
will be put to rest," Morgan said.

Gibbons last week waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was bound
over to Judge J. Dennis Frederick to schedule a trial. Defense attorney
Darwin Overson said the preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors must put
on enough evidence to show there is probable cause to support the charges,
would only cause "salacious injury" to his client.

Along with waiving the preliminary hearing, Gibbons ended his relationship
with California defense attorney Robert Shapiro, of O.J. Simpson's legal
Dream Team fame. Overson said Shapiro had been retained by Gibbons only
through the preliminary hearing phase of the prosecution.

Hired in July, Shapiro had never appeared in court on Gibbons' behalf. And
he only came to Utah once in connection with the case -- a January meeting
with prosecutors about what evidence and police reports should be shared.