The glacially paced investigation of St. Paul’s Town Council is creeping perceptibly forward, with prosecutors preparing to present new findings to a second special grand jury in August.
The investigation into “town matters” has taken more than four years. It has eaten up more than 1,400 hours of prosecutors’ time since 2005. It already has been before one special grand jury this year.
Testimony presented to special grand juries is secret, but Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ron Elkins said Tuesday that the investigation centers on “some past and present town officials” and on the issues of possible voter fraud and suppression of law enforcement.
“It’s all the same group of people tied up in the investigation,” Elkins said in a June interview. “There are people involved with the voter fraud that may be involved in some of the town corruption matters.”
Of the town officials, he added: “That is not to say they did anything wrong. If we had found any wrongdoing before, we would have charged it by now.”
The second special grand jury will be composed of the same jurors who first heard evidence in February, and recommended that law enforcement pursue new angles.
The voter fraud issue leapt to investigators’ attention in late April, when authorities arrested four individuals and charged them with voter fraud in the run-up to the town’s hotly contested election.
On Monday, a grand jury ratified the charges against the individuals, who are accused of falsely claiming residence within the town limits to influence the election’s outcome. Turnout in the May 6 election was a historic high; voters unseated all officials up for re-election, and flipped the body’s balance of power.
Billy Joe Steffey Sr. faces one count each of election fraud and conspiracy; Donna Lynn Greear and Roger Melvin Tackett each face a count of conspiracy; and Amanda Leann Honaker faces one count of election fraud. All are felony offenses that carry sentences of up to 10 years in jail.
Elkins has kept a close eye on the voter fraud cases, saying they would be a good gauge on the corruption in the town. But the issue is secondary to town officials allegedly meddling in police affairs, which he described as instructing officers “not to patrol certain areas.”
Law enforcement in the town of 1,000 people has been a flash point for controversy. The Town Council fired Police Chief Scott Brooks earlier this month. Brooks’ predecessor was fired the previous year.
Elkins said the probe into law enforcement issues deals with possible wrongdoing prior to this year’s election.
dgilbert@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558
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