Firetxmi
05-28-2006, 05:19 PM
NOTE: When they are saying abuse this is what the are referring to (taken off of a well known webpage for its gore):
When Tennessee law enforcement officials showed up at the home of Lester Siler, who they suspected of drug use, they asked Lester's wife and son to leave. They didn't know that Lester's wife had turned on a tape recorder in the kitchen.
When Lester exercised his constitutional right not to sign a consent to search his house, these officers spent the next two hours torturing him. They beat him with bats and guns, held loaded guns to his head, threatened to shoot him, dunked his head in the toilet, burned him with lighters, attached his testicles to a battery charger, threatened to cut off his fingers, and threatened to "go get" his wife and take his child away from him. Then they arrested him for "evading arrest"
Four former Campbell deputies sentenced to prison for suspect abuse
Lester Eugene Siler was threatened and beaten by the former deputies.
Five deputies pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the abuse of Lester Siler in June of 2004. The deputies went to Siler's Campbell County home because they suspected drug activity.
Their assault of the suspect led to their firings and charges against them. They were accused of violating Siler's constitutional rights.
Siler's wife secretly taped the deputies while they were in the Siler home.
In one excerpt of the tape, Deputy David Webber is heard saying to Siler:
"Let me tell you something. We're gonna know everybody that's supplying you. We're gonna know everything about your business today. And you're gonna take us and where you got your money, we're gonna take every dime you have today, and if we don't walk out of here with every piece of dope you got and every dime you got your (expletive) (expletive) is not going to make it to jail. And if you think we're joking, we're not."
Before sentencing on Wednesday, the deputies' attorneys painted a very different picture of the men facing the judge.
"Sammy has a history of good deeds, not only in the community but nationally. He served in the military for years, he served on the Campbell County Sheriff's Department for 17 years. He truly has never had a single complaint filed against him," said former Deputy Samuel Franklin's attorney, Andrew Roskind.
Friends and family accompanied the men to the Howard Baker Federal Courthouse for their sentencing, and the deputies had hundreds of letters of support from family, friends and community members.
The judge took this all into consideration, but
David Webber was sentenced to 57 months in jail; Samuel Franklin and Shayne Green received sentences of four and a-half years each, while William Carroll will spend four years and three months behind bars.
That is too much time, according to family members.
"I can't describe it, it seems unfair, he did wrong, but it just don't seem right," said Shayne Green's brother, Gary Green.
But Lester Siler's family says they are satisfied.
"Mr. Siler and his family respect the judgment that was handed down by the court today, and they look forward to moving on with their lives," said Siler's attorney, Kristie Anderson.
On Tuesday, another of the five deputies, Joshua Monday, received a sentence of six years.
Herryn Riendeau , Reporter
Link:http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=27204&provider=top
The audio of the beating is on that well known gore page if anyone cares to hear it. Very scary and sad!
When Tennessee law enforcement officials showed up at the home of Lester Siler, who they suspected of drug use, they asked Lester's wife and son to leave. They didn't know that Lester's wife had turned on a tape recorder in the kitchen.
When Lester exercised his constitutional right not to sign a consent to search his house, these officers spent the next two hours torturing him. They beat him with bats and guns, held loaded guns to his head, threatened to shoot him, dunked his head in the toilet, burned him with lighters, attached his testicles to a battery charger, threatened to cut off his fingers, and threatened to "go get" his wife and take his child away from him. Then they arrested him for "evading arrest"
Four former Campbell deputies sentenced to prison for suspect abuse
Lester Eugene Siler was threatened and beaten by the former deputies.
Five deputies pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the abuse of Lester Siler in June of 2004. The deputies went to Siler's Campbell County home because they suspected drug activity.
Their assault of the suspect led to their firings and charges against them. They were accused of violating Siler's constitutional rights.
Siler's wife secretly taped the deputies while they were in the Siler home.
In one excerpt of the tape, Deputy David Webber is heard saying to Siler:
"Let me tell you something. We're gonna know everybody that's supplying you. We're gonna know everything about your business today. And you're gonna take us and where you got your money, we're gonna take every dime you have today, and if we don't walk out of here with every piece of dope you got and every dime you got your (expletive) (expletive) is not going to make it to jail. And if you think we're joking, we're not."
Before sentencing on Wednesday, the deputies' attorneys painted a very different picture of the men facing the judge.
"Sammy has a history of good deeds, not only in the community but nationally. He served in the military for years, he served on the Campbell County Sheriff's Department for 17 years. He truly has never had a single complaint filed against him," said former Deputy Samuel Franklin's attorney, Andrew Roskind.
Friends and family accompanied the men to the Howard Baker Federal Courthouse for their sentencing, and the deputies had hundreds of letters of support from family, friends and community members.
The judge took this all into consideration, but
David Webber was sentenced to 57 months in jail; Samuel Franklin and Shayne Green received sentences of four and a-half years each, while William Carroll will spend four years and three months behind bars.
That is too much time, according to family members.
"I can't describe it, it seems unfair, he did wrong, but it just don't seem right," said Shayne Green's brother, Gary Green.
But Lester Siler's family says they are satisfied.
"Mr. Siler and his family respect the judgment that was handed down by the court today, and they look forward to moving on with their lives," said Siler's attorney, Kristie Anderson.
On Tuesday, another of the five deputies, Joshua Monday, received a sentence of six years.
Herryn Riendeau , Reporter
Link:http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=27204&provider=top
The audio of the beating is on that well known gore page if anyone cares to hear it. Very scary and sad!