Of the people, By the people, For the people
Home of subscriber
Ruby Bradford
TUESDAY, March 15, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 11 / 75 cents
This poster was released after 2014's Operation Ice Storm.
Operation Ice Storm cases still pending
Truck wrecks
A haz-mat team is on the scene after a truck owned by Quick Transport wrecked Saturday night. The driver was heading east on Highway 92 about a mile west of Morganton when the accident occurred. Rescuers had to cut the driver out of the cab. State police are in charge of the investigation and no further information was available. (Photo by Joel French for The Voice)
Judge refuses to let Maggio withdraw plea Former Van Buren County Circuit Judge Michael Maggio lost his bid last week to withdraw his guilty plea to a bribery charge. Federal Judge Brian Miller ruled
March 10 in U.S. District Court that the plea would stand and also denied Maggio's motion to dismiss the charge. Miller set Maggio's sentencing for March 24 at 1:30 p.m.
Maggio, 54, could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Maggio pleaded guilty in January 2015 to a charge that he accepted a bribe to
reduce the verdict in a nursing home negligence case in exchange for contributions to his campaign for a seat on the appellate court. He had been removed from the bench by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2014. Miller ruled that Maggio freely entered into his guilty plea with full knowledge of his rights, the law, and the consequences and that the government provided a factual basis for a law violation. Miller noted in his ruling that Maggio had been questioned at length during his plea hearing as to his competency and ability to enter the plea.
It was a year and a half ago this month when scores of law enforcement agents from all over the state swooped into Van Buren County in the predawn hours to dismantle "a major drug trafficking organization." Christopher Thyer, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, 20th Judicial District Prosecutor Cody Hiland, Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley and many others in law enforcement gathered on the stairs of the Courthouse to tell newspapers and TV stations as well as the public about the historic drug bust. The investigation, they said, began in January 2011 and culminated in the September 2014 raid. All told, 6 pounds of methamphetmine and 52 firearms were seized. The organization was responsible for distributing or possessing more than 300 pounds of meth. Thirty-four people were indicted by the federal government. At least 15 others faced state charges. The states attorney public information officer Chris Givens says that while there are 34 defendants "there is only one case, with Jeffery Weaver as the lead
defendant." The case is still pending, Givens said. The latest trial date for those who have not pleaded guilty already is Oct. 3, 2016. Several of the defendants already were jailed either in county jails or the Arkansas Department of Correction. The U.S. Marshals Service put holds on them. Some have been in and out of jail since, others bonded out a few days after their arrests and have stayed out of trouble. Eighteen months later, here is where the cases stand: * Jeffery L. Weaver – Defendant 1 – Charges: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine; use of communication device in furtherance of drug trafficking. Jury trial reset from Jan. 25 to Oct. 3. * James Zachary Caldwell – Charges: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession
See Ice on page 2
Shirley to repair Women's fence near ball field History Month
When it rains ... Heavy rains had the water churning in Bradley Creek near where it empties into Archey Creek last week. The rains left some roads underwater for a bit and the ball fields at Clinton City Park drenched. On Sunday, rain moved in again and there were some reports of debris and limbs blown down by straight-line winds. (Photo by Robert Snyder for The Voice)
The city of Shirley held an early monthly meeting in March to take care of a safety issue. Councilors voted to spend $1,000 to repair fencing around the city's storage buildings near the ball fields. Mayor Johnny Sowell said he was concerned that children could be injured on the fencing. The city has hired Brent Franks' Construction to do the work. Also at the March 3 meeting: * It was decided to check with the high school to find
potential workers for the city under a program that would pay their salaries for a few months. * Sowell said he had contacted a local appraiser to give a value for some property that includes the old Shirley bank. The city has been told that if work does not begin soon to restore the old bank it may have to be condemned and torn down. The building has been there since the incorporation of the city. See Shirley on page 2
This 1940s poster features baseball sensation Sue Kidd of Choctaw. March is Women's History Month and The Voice celebrates by featuring Kidd and some other notable women of Van Buren County, Pages 7-9.