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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Tom Coleman Convicted of Perjury (Tulia drug case) | |
| 2005-01-15 | |
| For background on this infamous case, see Color of Justice in the Texas Observer. Coleman was the shady free-lance undercover cop whose unsupported testimony sent 46 people to prison in a much-hyped 1998 cocaine bust. 39 of the defendants were black, representing 12% of the town's black population. There were no witnesses to Coleman's supposed drug buys, no surveillance recordings, and no corroborating evidence of any kind. His word alone was good enough for the juries, despite a very questionable background. The defendants have since been pardoned and released, some after spending three or four years in the pen. Sheriff Stewart presided over Coleman's drug investigation and could well be up on perjury charges himself. The prosecutor in the case, Terry McEachern, is also out of business, having been convicted of drunk driving in New Mexico. He will probably not be prosecuted for suborning perjured testimony and official oppression since disbarment proceedings are already underway. This case attracted national attention in 1998 and 1999, and was raised during the Presidential election campaigns of 2000 and 2004. It happened under GWB's tenure as Governor but State authorities were only peripherally involved until it came time to pardon the defendants, which was duly done.
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| Posted by:Atomic Conspiracy |