DEPUTIES' ARRESTS GIVE DEFENDANTS A BREAK, FOR NOW

LEXINGTON -- For some, the arrest of three former Davidson County Sheriff's
deputies may have been the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card. For
others, it could have been vindication of an unjust blemish on a life
otherwise clear of brushes with the law.

Since January, the Davidson County District Attorney's Office has dismissed
charges against 31 people, ranging from misdemeanor possession of marijuana
to felony possession of cocaine.

The cases had to be dropped, District Attorney Garry Frank said, because
then-deputies David Woodall, Douglas Westmoreland and William Rankin played
a significant role in the arrests.

Now that the men, all fired from the department, are facing drug charges of
their own, prosecuting the cases would be nearly impossible, Frank has said.

Attorneys and defendants whose cases were dropped declined to comment.

But records from the Davidson County Clerk of Court's office indicate that
of the 28 cases dropped as of Jan. 16, eight of the defendants had never
had a brush with the law before their arrest by the former deputies.

A 33-year-old Lexington man, for example, was arrested by Woodall and
charged with two counts of felony conspiracy to deliver cocaine.

The man had no other criminal charges on his record in Davidson County.

Twenty defendants who had cases dismissed, however, had previous criminal
histories in Davidson County, some spanning dozens of pages.

One man, for example, had convictions for driving while intoxicated,
assault and felony conspiracy to sell cocaine. The man, also 33 and from
Lexington, was arrested by Woodall in December 2000 on seven drug charges,
including two counts of felony conspiracy to deliver cocaine and two counts
of felony possession with intent to sell and distribute cocaine. Those
charges have been dropped. Frank said further investigation into possible
illegal drug activities of any of the people whose cases were dismissed
would be at the discretion of law enforcement agencies. "There are no
immediate plans to reopen any investigations, but I am not closing the door
on that," he said.

In an e-mail response through his public information officer, Sheriff
Gerald Hege said, "The District Attorney's Office has reviewed the cases
and has made the determination to drop them based on legal issues regarding
the indicted officers' credibility."

If any of those cases were to be reopened, Hege said, the decision would be
made by the District Attorney's office. Hege could not be reached for
further comment Friday afternoon; his public information officer, Capt.
Jody Shoaf, said the sheriff was on patrol.

Frank said his office believes all of the cases in which the deputies
played a significant role have been reviewed and dismissed.