Pubdate: Thu, 23 Sep 2004
Source: Fayetteville Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2004 Fayetteville Observer
Contact:  http://www.fayettevillenc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/150
Author: Rochelle Williams
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/leon+oxendine

POLICE OFFICER FOUND GUILTY

WILMINGTON - A U.S. District Court jury Wednesday convicted Lumberton
police Lt. Leon Oxendine of tampering with a witness, making false
statements to the FBI and five counts of making false declarations to
a grand jury.

Oxendine faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and $1.75 million in
fines. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 18.

Sheila Oxendine, his wife of four months, reacted to the verdict by
crying, "No, no, no." Federal marshals ushered her from the courtroom,
but she could be heard sobbing in the hallway as the judge thanked the
jury for its service.

Oxendine shook his head in disbelief, then laid it on the table in
front of him. He wanted to hug his daughter, Shevonne, but the
marshals led him out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

As he walked out, Oxendine called out to two State Bureau of
Investigation agents. "You did this to me," he said. "You did this to
me. And you're going to have to live with that."

SBI agents testified that Oxendine told informant Scott LaClaire to
plant a disk that contained an image of a $100 bill at a house on
Albion Street in Lumberton. They testified that Oxendine then told FBI
and SBI agents a series of lies to cover-up the crime.

In closing arguments, Oxendine's lawyer, Woodberry Bowen, told jurors
that they should question the case against Oxendine because the
government's primary witness - LaClaire - was an informant with a
criminal record and a history of drug abuse.

"LaClaire's mind was so fried that he can't even describe the single
most important thing in the case, the disk," Bowen said.

When LaClaire testified before a grand jury in 2001, he said the
planted disk was orange, but last week in District Court he testified
that the disk was black, Bowen said.

"Unless you believe Scott, none of the rest of this case holds up,"
Bowen told the jury. "The entire case is cobbled around LaClaire."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Evenson told the jury to note the
similarities in the testimony of LaClaire and federal agent Don Baucom.

"There will be things they forget or remember differently, but pay
attention to the main similarities."

Baucom and LaClaire testified that Oxendine told LaClaire to plant the
disk, but they recounted conflicting details of the
conversation.

Evenson told the jury it should find Oxendine guilty because he abused
his power.

Bowen said he accepts the jury's decision but does not agree with it.
"There is solid evidence of reasonable doubt," Bowen said. "He is by
no means a crooked cop. We showed that. There were a number of
occurrences where if they wanted to do anything wrong, they could
have, but they did not."

Evenson said Oxendine does not represent the Lumberton police
force.

"The verdict does not reflect the many good Lumberton police officers
that we work with who stand with integrity when they wear their badge."

Oxendine, 51, had worked for the Lumberton Police Department since
1978. He was placed on administrative leave without pay in January
2003. He was arrested in April.
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