LAW ENFORCERS PLEAD NOT GUILTY

Four law enforcement officers and two other men who face federal drug
charges pleaded not guilty at a detention hearing Wednesday. The six men
were denied bail at the hearing, but one of them may be granted bail later.

Federal Magistrate Russell A. Eliason said he will wait until Jan 7. for
federal investigators to determine if there is any further evidence against
former Davidson County Sheriff's Deputy William Rankin Jr., 32. If not, he
could be granted bail. Others charged with being part of the drug ring are
Lt. David Scott Woodall, 34, and Lt. Douglas Edward Westmoreland, 49,
Davidson County deputies assigned to the vice-narcotics division.

Also charged is Chris Shetley, an Archdale police patrol sergeant and
former vice officer, and two other men, Wyatt Nathan Kepley and Marco
Aurelio Acosta-Soza, who are not law enforcement officers.

Acosta-Soza allegedly made trips to Texas to obtain cocaine and marijuana
that officers later sold, according to an affidavit.

Kepley apparently served as the group's "cash bull," according to Eliason,
a term he used because the officers robbed Kepley of his stash of anabolic
steroids on at least four occasions.

In arguing for their bail, attorneys for the accused said that the
defendants have been lifelong residents of Davidson County, have strong
social ties in the community and aren't flight risks or dangers to anyone else.

Wednesday afternoon, the officers and Kepley were led into the courtroom in
Forsyth County Jail jumpsuits.

The officers, who have beenseparated from the general population for their
safety, wore orange. Kepley wore blue.

The courtroom was full of friends and family members of the accused, and
about 20 more people stood outside.

Evidence presented by U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston consisted of an
inventory of items seized at the men's homes in searches following their
arrests, information provided by a confidential informant and taped
conversations with the informant.

During the hearing, Hairston said the informant whose cooperation led to
the arrests was threatened by "a close business associate" of Shetley's
brother, who is also being investigated.

The informant, described as another local law enforcement officer arrested
earlier this year, was reportedly told "snitches get stitches." Hairston
said a friend of Westmoreland's came forward after his arrest to hand over
two boxes of cash - one with $22,500 and another with $8,696 - that
Westmoreland had given him for safekeeping the night before his arrest.

Hairston argued that Westmoreland is guilty of obstruction of justice
because he did not report that money to investigators after he was arrested.

She said Kepley could face additional federal charges because he is a
convicted felon. During a search of Kepley's girlfriend's apartment,
officers found a .45-caliber handgun he later admitted was his and a small
amount of anabolic steroids.

As a convicted felon, Kepley isn't permitted to have a firearm, she said.

Eliason said it was an "irony" that the police officers were in court
asking for the chance to post bail, given their former positions as
vice-narcotics officers. In court as law enforcement officers, they gave
testimony to prevent offenders from getting the chance for bail.

"If I could speak to them personally, I would say, 'You know what has to be
done.' They know they have to go by the same strong arguments that they
would have been making."

Eliason said the cases are special because they involve law enforcement
officers who have compromised public trust.

"When law enforcement officers commit this kind of act, it is more
serious," he said.

Eliason said he would consider granting Rankin bail because "he appeared to
be someone the other co-conspirators did not trust."

The affadavit indicates that Westmoreland and Woodall considered killing
Rankin because they thought he might begin working with authorities.

Rankin's debt on his house and truck do not reflect a man who has made a
lot of money selling drugs, argued his attorney, Brett Harwell.

Rankin's part in the drug ring was related to steroid trafficking and to
the three occasions listed in the affidavit that he participated in
burglaries of Kepley's residence to steal steroids and money.

The maximum sentence he could face is five years, which Harwell said does
not make him a flight risk.

At a morning detention hearing, Eliason ruled that Soza is a flight risk
because he is an illegal alien and has used other names to conceal his
identity in the past.

He said he didn't want to take the risk that Soza could be bailed out of
jail by another underworld connection and go back to work as a drug dealer.

"I don't know if all the conspirators have been captured in this case," he
said.