JUDGE CLOSES DOOR ON BOND FOR 3 EX-OFFICERS

A 4th Could Be Released Without More Evidence

Three former law-enforcement officers and two other men charged with
distributing drugs will remain in jail until their trial, a federal judge
ruled yesterday.

But one of the men, Davidson County Deputy William Rankin, 32, could be
released on bond by Jan. 7 if state and federal agents don't present more
evidence against him, said Judge Russell Elliason.

Rankin, along with fellow former deputies David Scott Woodall, 34, and
Douglas Westmoreland, 49, were arrested last week after an eight-month
investigation.

Archdale Police Sgt. Christopher Shetley, 35, Wyatt Nathan Kepley, 26, and
Marco Aurelio Acosta-Soza, 23, were also arrested. They are charged with
distributing more than 5kilograms of cocaine, more than 100kilograms of
marijuana and unspecified quantities of anabolic steroids and Ecstasy.

All six pleaded not guilty to the charges.

An affidavit that includes information from an unidentified police officer
who was arrested Nov. 5 as part of the conspiracy, alleges that the
officers also broke into homes, intimidated witnesses and stole drugs.

Kepley and Acosta-Soza supplied the drugs, including steroids and cocaine
to the officers, the affidavit alleges.

"That so violates the law-enforcement system, I can't imagine the citizens
of North Carolina would want the law-enforcement officers out," Elliason
said. "When law-enforcement officers commit these kinds of acts it has to
be treated more seriously."

Attorneys for all the men except Acosta-Soza argued that they should be
released into the custody of their families. Acosta-Soza is an illegal
immigrant, and prosecutors said that he is a flight risk.

The attorneys questioned the affidavit and the veracity of the information
provided by the informant. They said that the informant has turned on his
former partners in the hopes of a getting a lesser sentence.

"It's fair to say that this cooperating witness is in a great deal of
trouble himself," said Walter Jones, a Greensboro attorney representing
Shetley. "We only hear what the government wants us to hear."

The attorneys presented a variety of other arguments in their clients' defense.

Lisa Costner, the court-appointed attorney for Woodall, argued that it
would be easier for officials if Woodall was released on bond.

Keeping the former deputy in jail requires additional security measures to
make sure that the other inmates don't harm him, which puts a strain on the
jail, Costner said.

But based on the amount of cocaine investigators allege that Woodall bought
at one point - about three kilograms a week - and threats he made against
other men linked to the distribution ring, Elliason declined the request.

Investigators allege that Woodall was the group's leader.

"The amount of cocaine you'd be talking about is extraordinary," Elliason
said. "He would be flooding Davidson County and the surrounding counties.
He would be the biggest drug dealer in Davidson County at the time."

The judge denied Westmoreland's bond request, in part, because the deputy
told the judge last week that he had revealed all his financial resources
to authorities. But since his arrest, one of his friends has turned over
more than $30,000 in cash to investigators.

The friend, who was not identified, told authorities that Westmoreland had
asked him to hold the money, officials said.

Attorneys for Shetley, Kepley and Rankin argued that their clients were
minimally involved in the distribution ring, according to the affidavit.

Shetley primarily handled the Ecstasy transactions, and Kepley and Rankin
were involved selling steroids, the informant alleges.

Prosecutors said that Shetley would be a danger to witnesses. The informant
told investigators that he had received a threatening phone call since the
men were arrested from a business associate of Shetley's brother.

The judge cited the allegation as one of the reasons that he was denying
Shetley's request for bond.

More than 25 members of Shetley's family attended the hearing.

Kepley's attorney, Stuart L. Teeter of Winston-Salem, said that his client
was a victim.

The other men stole from him and broke into his home, the informant alleges
in the affidavit.

"He hasn't threatened anybody," Teeter said. "He is not an active player."

Elliason agreed but said that Kepley had violated a court order by owning a
gun and possessing steroids after he was convicted on possession charges in
San Diego last summer.

Investigators found a .45-caliber handgun and several steroid pills when
they arrested Kepley on Dec. 12.

Prosecutors said that he could be charged with possession of a firearm by a
felon.

However, prosecutors acknowledged that at this time their case against
Rankin is limited. The evidence indicates that Rankin was only involved in
steroids trafficking, prosecutors said.

"I'd release him but I'm not ready to release him today," Elliason said.
Rankin could face home detention and electronic monitoring if he is
released next month.

Elliason noted the irony of the situation as officer after officer asked
that bond be set. On countless occasions the officers had told judges that
they should deny bond to people charged with drug trafficking, Elliason said.

"They're in the situation that they're asking to be released," Elliason
said. "If I was talking to them personally I would say, 'You know what has
to be done.' "