Pike County Facebook tirades reveal concerns about sheriff's credibility in court
This article goes into detail about how Sheriff Reader's "problems" could affect the Jury in the Wagner murder trials.....
Excerpts:
Criminal justice experts agree that should Reader be found of wrongdoing, the case could pose a serious obstacle to the prosecution of the four members of the Wagner clan who are charged in the
Rhoden family massacre.
If defense attorneys make a strong case that Reader's credibility is tainted by his potential conviction, "that could give jurors reason to pause and give reasonable doubt," said David Singleton, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University and the executive director of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center. "It's possible it could make a difference."
He likened such a scenario to the O.J. Simpson trial. Then, Det. Mark Fuhrman, who found crucial evidence in the case, was branded by the defense as a racist. Tapes were played of him using the N-word after he denied he’d said it.
"He was a critical fact witness. Discredit him, the house of cards falls," Singleton said. "If the sheriff (Reader) is a critical fact witness in terms of investigatory steps, and (a defense attorney) attacks his credibility, the house could fall."
Allen suspects that Reader played more than an ancillary role in the Wagner investigation, considering the relatively small size of the Pike County Sheriff's Office.
"If they call him and he's
impeached by the defense," Allen said, "they're stuck with him. They're just stuck with whatever he has to say."
