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Support Us URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n957/a07.html

Newshawk: chip

Votes: 1

Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jun 2003

Source: Roanoke Times (VA)

Copyright: 2003 Roanoke Times

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Website: http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368

Author: LAURENCE HAMMACK



He Threatened His Workers' Jobs, Official Says



TESTIMONY: SHERIFF INTERFERED IN FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF SON



James Edwin Falls, Son Of The Giles County Sheriff, Was Arrested On Federal Charges Of Distributing Cocaine And OxyContin June 8.



Shortly after his son was arrested on drug charges, Giles County Sheriff Larry Falls threatened to fire any employee who cooperated with a federal investigation that led to the charges, a federal agent testified Monday.



The sheriff made the comment to one of his investigators following a June 8 raid in which his 36-year-old son, James Edwin Falls, was arrested on federal charges of distributing cocaine and OxyContin, according to Terry Henderson of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.



Henderson also testified that Mike Falls, the sheriff's other son and a captain for the Giles County Sheriff's Office, leaked information about the identities of at least two confidential informants to the wife of James Falls.



Allison Paige Falls, who was charged along with her husband in the raid, went on to threaten one of the informants, saying that "she had talked to her brother-in-law and found out everything she needed to know," Henderson testified during a bond hearing in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.



Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Plagenhoef declined to comment after the hearing on whether authorities are investigating possible obstruction of justice charges.



But in court in response to Judge James Turk's observation that neither James nor Allison Falls had a criminal record, Plagenhoef raised the possibility of interference by Giles County law enforcement.



"They've got pretty good ties in Giles County," Plagenhoef said. "Maybe that explains why they don't have criminal records."



Neither Larry nor Mike Falls returned calls Monday. Neither of them have responded to media inquiries since late May, when James and Allison Falls were charged with drug offenses following a traffic stop in Salem. The Fallses were released on bond following those arrests, which were not part of the federal investigation.



In a memo dated May 27, three days after an article about the arrests appeared in The Roanoke Times, Falls instructed his staff not to release information to the media about any case or issue involving the sheriff's office.



"This is to be adhered to without exception," according to the memo, a copy of which was sent to The Roanoke Times. "The news media will have to obtain their information from sources other than our department."



A dispatcher said Monday that Sheriff Falls is on medical leave. Falls, who had a stroke earlier this year, has announced that he will not run for re-election this fall because of health concerns. His son, Mike Falls, is one of the candidates vying to replace him.



The role the sheriff and his son reportedly played in the federal investigation of James and Allison Falls was cited by prosecutors as a reason for sealing a search warrant and other case documents in the days following their arrests.



A motion to seal the search warrant stated that Allison Falls threatened to hire someone to kill a government informant after learning of his identity from Mike Falls.



Immediate public disclosure of that threat, along with the sheriff's comment that he would fire anyone who cooperated with the investigation and prosecution of his son, could have damaged the investigation and jeopardized the lives of informants, federal prosecutors said in the motion.



The warrant was unsealed Monday after the Fallses, who have been in jail since their arrests on the day of the June 8 raid, appeared before Judge Turk for a hearing in which their bonds were set at $25,000 each.



Attorney John Fishwick, who represents James Falls, cast doubt on the government's theory that his client was somehow protected by the sheriff's office, noting that authorities from other counties where the drug dealing allegedly happened did not make arrests either.



And Paul Dull, who represents Allison Falls, pointed out that employees of the Giles County Sheriff's Office were involved in the investigation from the start. The sheriff reportedly did not threaten to fire anyone until after the arrests.



"I would be very surprised if the sheriff didn't know what his deputies were doing, especially when it involved his son," Dull said.



A seven-count indictment alleges that the Fallses distributed large amounts of cocaine and the prescription painkiller OxyContin from their Narrows home over a seven-year period.



The Fallses maintain their innocence, Dull said.

MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart



