In Jan. 31-Feb. 6 issue
By Greg Wells
Times Journal Managing Editor


Witnesses called to testify before the Grand Jury were sworn in.

JAMESTOWN - There was a new judge in town last week and he took on some of the more talked-about cases: those of Leon Grider, Melinda Wilson and James S. Faller II.

Judge Cletus Miracle of Clay County was appointed to hear the cases by the Administrative Office of the Courts after Judge Vernon Miniard recently recused himself.

Miracle set April 1 at 9 a.m. as the time to hear motions in the state's case against Grider and September 29 as the date for the trial in that case to begin.

He said he would address a request by the prosecution for the trial to be moved to another county at the next hearing date.

In that case, the Commonwealth is accusing the pharmacist of illegally providing medications to police informants.

In Wilson's civil suit against the City of Russell Springs and Police Chief Joseph M. Irvin, Miracle said he would rule on the city's motion to dismiss the suit and any other motions on that same April 1 court date.

The greatest portion of the judge's time in the Russell Circuit Courtroom was devoted to Faller's allegations against state and local police officers.

In his most recent suit Faller has alleged that, among others, officers of the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation are intimidating grand jury witnesses. He had previously made accusations against least one of the officers listed in this case, as well as many other local officials, in federal court.

That case was dismissed and that dismissal was upheld on appeal.
During his appearance before the judge last week, Faller made numerous allegations, many relating to crimes he said were perpetrated against others, who he identified in the courtroom.

Miracle cautioned him that he could not represent others in legal proceedings since he is not a lawyer.

Faller's reply was that the crimes he was alleging, as well as those he said were being reported to him, were part of a pattern of corruption and that he was one of the victims.

In the end the judge called to the bench those people who Faller had identified as being intimidated and swore them to appear at the grand jury meeting on February 19.

Judge Miracle also directed no one in the suit to have any contact with those sworn to appear before the grand jury.

In his instruction last Wednesday, Jan. 23, the judge asked that none of the law enforcement officers listed in the suit nor Faller himself should have any contact with those people.

Those sworn in included Leon Grider and Faller's secretary, both of whom Faller asked for permission to communicate with but the judge stressed that no one involved in the suit is to communicate at all with those he swore to appear before the grand jury.