Beaumont Enterprise
August 19, 1988
Jury Views Video Tapes in Wade Trial
By Margaret Toal
Staff Writer
SHERMAN - Orange County Sheriff's Capt, Thomas Hennigan used a video taper recording and other records Thursday to show a federal jury drug lab equipment seized in a 1985 Vidor Drug raid.
Hardin County Sheriff H. R. "Mike" Holzapfel has identified some of that same equipment as having been confiscated by his deputies in Hardin County in October 1987.
Hennigan testified most of the day as federal prosecutors presented records from him and others to lay the foundation of their case against suspended Orange County Sheriff James Wade, who was indicted on 10 counts, including conspiracy to make and sell drugs and embezzlement from the county's drug buy fund.
Nyle Henry Baker, 58, of Vidor was indicted with wade on one count of conspiracy to make and sell drugs. Unindicted co-conspirators are Donnie James Flowers, 27, Addie Guillory, 31, and Robert Lee Rogers, 31.
Hennigan showed the video tape of evidence seized by his department Dec. 11, 1985, at Baker's Vidor residence.
Holzapfel had previously identified some of that equipment as having been confiscated in Hardin County in October 1987 during a raid in which Flowers was arrested.
Holzapfel also had testified that on April 16, 1986, he released Guillory to Wade on personal recognizance because Wade told him he was going to use Guillory as an informant.
Hennigan read to the jury an Orange County jail card with information that Guillory was booked there April 16, 1986, and released 30 minutes later on personal recognizance by Wade.
Hennigan also read records of the serial number of a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol Orange County officers seized in a drug arrest of Guillory July 27, 1986.
The serial number matched the one on a pistol a pawn shop owner testified Wednesday that Flowers pawned Sept. 22, 1986.
Hennigan also said Wade told him earlier this year he had loaned to Guillory a 1978 Oldsmobile seized in the 1985 Baker case and forfeited to Orange County, which became the owner.
On Cross-examination from defense attorney Gary Richardson, Hennigan said Wade has expressed concern about security of the county's evidence shed, located outside of the sheriff's office-jail complex.
Richardson also questioned department security when seized evidence was stored in the old 1920's jail and later when the evidence was moved to the newer complex before the old jail was demolished.
Hennigan Wednesday had read from a ledger individual withdrawals Wade made from the county's special drug-buy fund. The withdrawals totaled $6,200. Wade did not report justification or case numbers on most of the withdrawals, he testified then.
On questioning from Richardson, Hennigan said there was nothing wrong with not reporting justifications. He said many of the withdrawals from deputies did not list case numbers.
Hennigan calculated from Richardson that Wade had justified about 41 percent of his withdrawals compared to a justifications report rate of 93 percent for former undercover Deputy Billy Permenter.
Wade has pleaded innocent to the charges and contends he was acting as a crooked sheriff to catch drug "kingpins."
Testimony is to continue this morning in the trial before U. W. district Judge Howell Cobb of Beaumont.
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