Pubdate: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 Source: Austin American-Statesman (TX) Copyright: 2003 Austin American-Statesman Contact: http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/32 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, Texas) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Tom+Coleman UNTANGLING THE TALE OF TULIA'S INCARCERATED Regular readers of this page justifiably wondered why the inmates who had been called the Tulia 13 became the Tulia 14 in Tuesday's editions. There is an explanation, but it is one as tortured as the process that started with a tainted undercover drug operation that led to the convictions of 38 residents of the tiny Panhandle community. Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill Monday that would allow release on bail of 14 people convicted on the testimony of Tom Coleman, the undercover officer who spearheaded the tainted investigation. Vanita Gupta of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund actually counts 16 people as incarcerated on Coleman's testimony. Two of those, however, were on probation on previous Potter County drug convictions when they were rounded up in the Tulia drug busts. Their arrests, based on Coleman's bogus undercover work, triggered revocations of their previous convictions. Once their probation was revoked and they were ordered imprisoned on Potter County convictions, the Tulia charges were dropped. They will not get relief promised by the bill that Perry signed Monday, Gupta said. Another three were out on probation after entering guilty pleas on the Tulia drug charges and have since had their probations revoked for a variety of reasons. They, however, are covered by the bill, bringing the number of Tulia defendants eligible for release under the bill to 14. Those 14 are scheduled for a hearing later this month in Tulia that will end in their imprisonment. They may be released, but they still won't be free until their convictions are overturned or they are pardoned. Texas legislative, executive and judicial officials should bear in mind that the bill was a welcome step, but exoneration of the defendants is the ultimate destination. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk