Ex-sheriff paid lenders more than his earnings
September 9, 1988
by the Associated Press
Suspended Orange county Sheriff James wade and his wife, who operates a beauty shop, paid lending institutions more than $35000 last year, but their 1987 federal income tax statement showed they made less than $3,300 in income between them, prosecutors said.
After introducing the income tax statement Thursday, prosecutors rested their case against the 43-year-old Wade, who has been on trial in Sherman for four weeks on federal charges that he ran a methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution operation using money and equipment taken from his department.
Wade's defense team is scheduled to start presenting witnesses Monday.
Jurors heard less than 30 minutes of testimony Thursday. The only testimony was by John Reaud, 37, who drew diagrams of his Beaumont home. He had earlier testified that Wade had arranged for him to by methamphetamine.
U. S. District Judge Howell Cobb and attorneys spent most of the day in closed-door meetings. They are scheduled to spend today working on the charge that will be presented to the jury at the end of testimony.
At one point the judge was talking about a ruling he was making about statements by people alleged to be co-conspirators with Wade and stopped midsentence.
"Does this have to be in open court?" Cobb abruptly asked.
"No," defense attorney Gary Richardson said.
"It has to be in open court but not in front of the jury," said the prosecutor, Assistant U. S. Attorney Stuart Platt. Cobb had already ordered the jury out of the courtroom.
Cobb called the attorneys off to the side for a whispered conference. "What possible justification can we have to exclude these people?" Platt said motioning toward the 20 or so spectators in the courtroom as he walked away from the whispered conference.
"Court is in recess until 9 a.m. Monday," Cobb said.
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