UPDATE 10:42 State VS Bobby Snellgrove....Grand Jury Testimony of Snellgrove Being Read

Sandra Stokes Walden

Viewed: 4023

Posted by: Sandra Walden
Date: May 14 2015 9:50 AM

James Murray employed with AG  Senior Special Agent, employed about 4 years.

Duties to investigate cases assigned to him by Sr Prosecution.

23 years with FBI.  In Montgomery FBI office about 15 years.

Agent Murray are familiar back in 2010 there was a investigation that was on going where Ronnie Gilley’s phones were tapped?  I do.  Dates:  March 1, 2010 – April 8, 2010.  Did you have the opportunity to review telephone records in this case that has been introduced as SE 23.  Yes.

What were you looking for in these records?  Telephone contact between Mr. Gilley’s cellphone and Mr. Snellgrove’s cellphone.  No phone calls during March 1, 2010 and April 8, 2010.

Are you familiar with Mr. Bobby Snellgrove appearing before the special Houston County grand jury in 2013?  I am.  What did I hand you?  The transcript of Mr. Snellgrove’s testimony.  Matt Hart and Mike Duffy were the proscecutors in the grand jury.

They are going to read the grand jury testimony of Snellgrove to the jury. 

Agent: state name to ladies and gentlemen of the grand jury

Bobby

What do you do? Retired

I own a small business

Ho co Comm for 12 years.  Left 2 yrs ago 2010

Matt Hart Proscutor and Mike Duffey

 Matt Hart reads the warning read to all witnesses and giving directions.

Everything said in this room is being recorded.

Home address.

Home phone

Carrier on home phone?  Myself  Who is your provider?  Centurytel

Work Address?  Work Telephone? Carrier?

Personal Cell? Who is carrier? Altell

Do you have a work cell? No sir

Did you have a work cell with county?

Do you remember it?

What is your spouse’s name?

Email?

Do you participate in social media? FB?  NO sir

Where do you bank?

Anywhere else?

Do you have a mortgage on your home?

Who holds the mortgage?

I can’t recall the name?

A financial institution?

Been sold several times and you know how that works out.

How long have you had that mortgage?  About 15 years

Education level? GED

The Dothan Eagle 11-21-2012 had article about who had been supbeoned to grand jury.

I got a phone call from the Dothan Eagle.

I don’t know what supbeoned is for?  HE defended former and present commissioners.  I believe they

Ken Curtis, former comm. Bobby Snellgrove was served Monday.  He commented “I ain’t got nothing to hide”  It is on here not to discuss the supbeoned.

Retirement SS

County Retirement

Local Union 52 Pipe Fitter

Home that I sold financed it

I am I Marine repair business.  25 years. Dothan Prop Shop

Dothan DPF 

Regional  Portables and includes Septic Services

You said we several times?  I said what other businesses are you involved in and you said we?  The business I discussed Prop Shop belongs to me. ……

Any other businesses in the last 5 years that you were affliated with but not longer affiliated with.

You have got family that works with you in the business..We all work together it is a family business.

Are you familiar with the bingo business in Ho Co?  Yes sir

Have you heard of CC? Yeah

That was to have bingo right? Yeah

Do you know whether it is still in business?  I don’t know

There is a new entity?  Center Stages

Have you heard of that? Yeah

How many comm in HO Co? 5

Rules for charitable bingos for Ho Co?  People promoting:  my questions come from Al Ethics Law.  As Co Comm you got training on that didn’t you?  Yes sir

I am do some leading questions so we can move faster.

You are familiar with Al Ethics law and how it deals with public officials.

Are you familiar with the Ethics Comm Law?  What is your general understanding?

Alabama Ethics law prohibits officer holder from using position to gain

That is the jest, is that your understanding of it?  Yes sir

Describe family of a public official…spouse, any dependant you have, adult child and their spouse, sibling… are you familiar with that?  Yeah

Did you ever attempt to use or use your official position for personal gain?  No sir

Did you ever attempt to use or use your official position for personal gain of yourself or your family?  No sir

Did you ever receive anything of value for the purpose of using your official positions for gain> no sir

Did anyone ever offer you anything of value in your official capacity? No sir

Did you ever seek anything from anyone for your assistance in official capacity?  No sir

Did you have a financial interest in CC, Center Stages, or business involved in gaming or portentially involved in those Activities?  No sir

Frank Wendt?  No sir

Ronnie Gilley?  I know of him

Do you have a relationship? No

I would know him if he came in the door, if his hair hasn’t grown back.  No relationship, he is the guy that brought CC to Houston Co.

I read Mr. Wendt’s name on some of the documents that went before the HO Co Comm.

Describing friends…not a friend of Mr. Wendt, No Business relationship? No.  has any of your family members in business ever had a relationship with him? Not to my knowledge

Did you ever have a business relationship with Mr. Gilley? No sir

Did any of your family ever have a relationship with Mr. Gilley? I had rather my family answer that.

It is not a option?  My son had a security business.  Security gaurds, that type business.  Guarding a business? No sir security.  Like a watchman. 

I, they had a security to guard some of the property for Mr. Gilley.  Where was that?  Country Crossings. 

It was CC so it had to be in the last 3, 4 or 5 years didn’t it?  Yes sir.

What is your son’s name? Mark a Snellgrove

How did it come about that Mark got security business from Gilley?  He went and pursued it.  How did you find out that?  I talked to my son. 

Night guards and gate gaurds.  Is it gated?  I think it is.  I am going to assume his affliation with them was during the construction part of it.  Are you just assuming that?  No no I know that. 

Regional Security Service, Regional Security something like that.

What was the other business?  Regional Septic is yours together..yes sir

How many security guards did Regional Services have?  I don’t know.  You don’t know?  It would be a guess.  Is it a 100? Don ‘t know.  1?  More.  10 I don’t know.

Do you know when it closed?  I don’t know.  It fizzled out pretty quick. 

Where was it located?  Cloverdale Drive….that is where your business is located?  Yes sir. 

It is just a different entity of its own.  You did know he was providing security at CC?  just during conversation.  When my son told me during converstation. 

Did he talk with Mr. Gilley?  I don’t know.  Didn’t Mr. Gilley own that?  He wanted people to believe he was the top dog. 

So did your son talk with Mr. Gilley?  I don’t think so.  He probably talked with the project manager.  Who was the project manager?  I don’t know.  I was not involved in the construction.

Did you ever ask Mr. Gilley for work for your son?  No sir.  Is there any other work that you did for Mr. Gilley during any of his business. 

For some of his special events he rented port-a-potties?  Did you  speak with Mr. Gilley about any of his businesses about port-a-potties?  No sir. 

Ok give me a second.  When you started Regional septic?  What did you do when you started it.  Regional Septic Incorporatied?  Yes sir.  Regional Security was it incorporated?  I don’t know.

Do you know who Mark Sheldon is?  I know the name.  Do you have any idea what?

No sir.  He works for Gilley

Chuck Taylor?  I know the name.

Isn’t it a fact that you discussed with Mr. Gilley that you wanted your son to provide security?  No sir.  Did you not talk with Mr. Gilley when there was some trouble out there?  No sir. 

Are you familiar with the company he had contracted with before?  I am familiar with the company that replaced my son?  Who was that?  DSI

This was $200,000 and some odd dollars of security business?  I don’t know.  Do you remember talking with Mr. Gilley about him cutting their security contract?  No sir.

Did you have any control over the bank accounts?  NO sir.

You never talked to Ronnie Gilley about hiring your son?  No sir.  That is how we get our businesses.  We are always looking for something we can start up.

Sometimes we will ask questions and we will not know the answers, sometimes we will ask 10 questions and know the answers.

Do you remember talking with other people about the problems your son was having at CC and Mr. Gilley?  No sir.  Who did you talk to about it?  My son.

You never met Mr. Gilley one on one and talked to him?  No sir.

Did you ever tell anyone we met with Ronnie Gilley and had some discussion?  No sir

On the Port-a-potty business you had, you provided port-a-potties to some events that Mr. Gilley had,  do you remember talking to Mr. Gilley about that?  No sir. 

You never talked to Mr. Gilley, Mr. Sheldon?  No sir.  If you complained to someone about you  doing potties and someone else delivering potties out there you would know that?  Yes sir.  Did you talk to Mr. Taylor?  No sir. 

That is a big contract isn’t it?  No sir.  You I and I might have a different opinion of that.  Did you make over $200,000?  No sir.

Let’s go over series of invoices?  Invoice from Regional Portables to Celebration Station.  Also going over check stubs….calling out the amounts of 14 invoices from .

Do you recognize any of these?  No sir I did not handle any of the paperwork.  Who are the other employees that worked for Regional Portables?  I can’t recall the one man who cleaned our toilets.  Who else worked with you?  My other son,, Richard.

What was the first job Regional Portables ever got?  I don’t recall.  Was it Ronnie Gilley?  I don’t know.

What was the first job Regional Services go?  I don’t recall.

He has worked with me 25 years off and on.  He worked with Pemco.  They reworked airplaines.  He did maintenance on big planes.

Did he have any experience in security before he went to CC?  No sir. 

Your other son have any experience?  No sir.  Richard works in my shop off an on for 25 years.  He was a fireman at one time.  He works with me part-time.  He is either fixing problems, cleaning toilets or what ever else needed to be done.

Being on the commission you have to be involved in a lot of things.  The Sheriff’s Dept…we fund the sheriff’s dept but the sheriff is over his department.  We have no say so on day to day operations.

What made your son think he would be able to get the security at CC when he had no experience?  I don’t know.

When did the security Co go out of business?  I don’t know, 3 or 4 years.

You had to fill out ethics disclosure form?  Yes sir.  Did you fill them out to the best of your ability?  Yes sir.  Did you put Regional Septic or Security on the ethics form?  You had to put the money you made on the form I believe..

If we asked around Houston Co who did you or your sons tell that you had this business with Mr. Gilley’s outfit?  We weren’t soliciting business from other people

People are happy when good news happen, when you get a big contract that is good news isn’t it.  Who did you tell that you got this contract out a Country Crossings? I don’t recall any names..I have all the time.  Jackie Hastings, I probably told him, I eat lunch with him, he is retired.  HE and I eat lunch togather quiet often.  Just in conversation.  Probably Randy Galipin.  Long time acquaintance through stock car racing.  Who else?  Nobody that I recall.

Did y’all have a contract with Mr. Gilley?  In portables you don’t have contracts, you just do events..

Security business your son had did they have a contract?  I don’t believe they had a contract.

Do you know if that business was inc. so that people could go down to courthouse and see it?  I am not sure.  I assume they did.

If I told you there was no contract, no inc.   would that seem unusual?  No sir.  There

Did you ask Mr. Gilley not to do contract,, just do invoice?  No sir.  Did you ever have a discussion with Gilley about that security business?  No sir.  You never had a syllable conversation about that security business?  No sir.

UPDATE 10:42

Did you ever threaten Mr. Gilley to create problems for him if he stopped security out there?  No sir

Have you ever heard of any other county officials having any interest in a business with Gilley or whoever?  Business or interest, financial interest?  No sir not to my  knowledge. 

Any other discussions with anyone about what you would say if questioned about these issues?  No sir.  You have never had any conversation about what you would say if questioned about these issues?  No sir. 

Did you ever hear anyone conversation about any other commissioner

Did you ever have any discussion with Mr. Gilley about the rules the commission established?  No  Well I thought he had talked to each of the commissioners individually?  He came to commission meetings and we went through stacks of papers.    Did you ever talk to Mr. Gilley on your cellphone?  I am sure I did.  One on one.   WE talked about Country Crossings.  

Don’t constituents call their commissioners to discuss things they need?  Yes sir. 

Did you talk to Mr. Gilley on the day the port-a-potties were delivered?  No sir. 

If Mr. Gilley said that you talked to him on the telephone that day would he be lying?  A federal jury ruled that he was one of the biggest liars in the state. 

Did you talk to him from your cellphone to his?  I have yes.  I thought you said a few minutes ago you might have talked with him several times…. I don’t know 1, 2 or 3

What did you talk to him about?  No I couldn’t tell you honestly what I talked to him about.  It was something related to Country Crossings.  What would you have been talking to him on the phone about Country Crossings?  I don’t recall…

You know we remember things that are important and have happen in our lives…can’t you remember what you discussed with Mr. Gilley on the day you talked to him on the cellphone?  I don’t, I am sorry.

Did you tell me you were or are represented her today?  NO sir.  Have you spoken to an attorney about this today?  Yes sir.  William White.  Mr. Maxwell was in the room. Are they your attorneys?  No .What was the discussion with Mr. Maxwell?  There wasn’t a discussion, I think there were some questions asked. 

Explaining what recanting and squaring up your testimony means in regard to purgury.  Once you walk out the door today it is to late.  Once we go out and prove things you can’t change your testimony today. 

Is there anything you told this grand jury today that you would like to correct before we leave?  No sir

Other than to hand you a document or show you a document have I been in your personal space today?  Have I been up in your area in an intimidating way?  No sir.

Have I been or has anybody in the grand jury been rude to you in any way?  No sir.

Secrecy of the Grand Jury….not talking about anything outside this room…felony if you do, you  can talk to your personal attorney, do you understand it?  Yes sir.

You are excused Mr. Snellgrove..

Judge Mendheim is explaining what a Grand Jury is in the State of Alabama.  Administered by Circuit Judge and a prosecutor, either DA or State Attorney.

End of direct

Sheffield:  Agent Murray Mr Snellgrove was never charged with purgery in the grand jury?  No sir.

What is a special agent?  Do you have special agents or are you just special?  We are all special

Middle name on indictment and testimony… Bobby Snellgrove’s middle name was misspelled.  State said Rick and his middle name is Rhett.

You were federal agent involved in the Fed case where all of the tapes were made?  There was a big team.  And you are familiar with the tapes in the case.  I did not hear them.  You were  not in the court when they were played?  No sir.

 

STATE RESTS

Jury has left the room for the defense to present some motions to the judge.

Sheffield is stating that the Statute of Limitations had expired.  That HEDA had replaced Country Crossings in the votes of the commission. And the statute of limitations had expired by the time Mr. Snellgrove was arrested.

They are looking at statute for personal gain.  State is presenting their argument.  Feb 25 08 where the drive around Dothan is well beyond, the only testimony after that is a week later contact.  First inv Feb 2009, first check April 10, 2009, last check was May 5, 2010.  There were other checks through July 2010. 

The state is alleging a series of particular acts..is that all one charge, one scheme.  State is saying that would go to issue of continuing events. 

Judge Mendheim I will note it on the record and I will continue to think about it this week.  I think the jury could well conclude that they lost money on the issue.  HE will deny the motion now but if there is a conviction we will revisit if Sheffield thinks appropriate.  

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