Pubdate: Tue, 24 May 2005 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2005 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 Author: Jamie Satterfield 5th LAWMAN INVOLVED IN BEATINGS SENT TO JAIL Campbell Deputy Behind Bars Pending Sentencing The last of a group of Campbell County lawmen who beat and tortured a handcuffed man is behind bars. U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan on Monday ordered William Carroll, a reserve deputy with the Campbell County Sheriff's Office, jailed pending a sentencing hearing. =09 Carroll pleaded guilty at a hearing Monday to conspiring with four other Campbell County deputies to violate the civil rights of Lester Eugene Siler, a convicted drug dealer, in an encounter at Siler's White Oak community home last July. Carroll's partners in crime - narcotics chief David Webber, veteran Detective Samuel Franklin, rookie Deputy Joshua Monday and part-time process server Shayne Green - pleaded guilty earlier this year. All were ordered jailed pending sentencing. Carroll had been set to plead guilty alongside his co-defendants, but his plea to an information prepared by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley wound up delayed for several months. It's not clear why. Neither Atchley nor Carroll's attorney, Federal Defender Beth Ford, has explained the delay, nor was any reason given at Monday's hearing. As a result of the delay in getting Carroll before a judge, sentencing hearings for his co-defendants, originally set for this month, have been delayed until late June. The five lawmen have admitted violating Siler's civil rights through force and intimidation. According to court records and an FBI transcript of a secret recording of the incident made by Siler's wife, the deputies handcuffed Siler and engaged in a two-hour attack on him. Siler was repeatedly beaten and threatened with death. His head was held underwater in a fish tank and a toilet. He was struck with a slapjack and a baseball bat. The deputies threatened to electrocute him and shoot him. The reason for the attack remains murky. The FBI transcript shows the deputies were trying to force Siler to sign a form giving permission to search his trailer. But the transcript suggests a more sinister motive, with comments from Webber, deemed by authorities as the ringleader in the attack, that he planned to take any cash or drugs found in the home. Siler appeared at Monday's hearing with his attorney, Kristie Anderson. She has said she plans to file a lawsuit in connection with the attack. - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)