One shock after another Drugs, ethics break Tyler’s rose-colored glasses By STEVE BLOW murder of 22yearold Linda Jo Sure of Tee Edwards. Her mutilted body was ‘TYLER, Texas — In 1977 the peo. discovered on the floor of her South ple of Tyler were aghast et the gory Tyler apartment with more than 20 Smith County Dist. Any. Hunter Brush says, “There were things that got into thet trial that should not have and that ‘have not gotten into any other trials.” stab wounds in the back and breasts, ‘A. jury convicted 23year-ld Kerry Max Cook, a former dancer in a strip club and, according to test ‘mony, ® homotexual. He was seu: tenced fodeath for her murder. In 1978 the people of Tyler were shocked again when thelr police chief, 41geareld Ronnie Malloch, ‘was gonned down in his home and his wife wa indicted for murder, And there were even more socks at Mrs, Malloch tri. She testified that Malloch, outwardly = smodel husband and father. often ‘went into drunken rages end best he. She said she Killed him during ‘one of the rages in which he threst: fened to ill her and their children. The jury found her not guilty of murder ‘The shock of 1979 came om the evening of april 25, when ‘Tyler police and state troopers began unding up 121 young people on & ‘variety of drugelated charges. The people arrested represented a cross Section of Tyler society. including the children of some of the city’ ‘most prominent families ‘With 70000 residents, Tyler is no longer ssmali town, It isa beaut: fo city with a high quality of life, but residents still think of It as @ Creig Matthews... under- cover officer possessed and. used substantial quantities of drugs, young people say. small town, Mutilation murders, the domestic billing ofthe police chief land enormous drug busts just doa ‘happen in Tyler. (Or at least they never did before. fused to be that a drug bust ia ‘Tyler, Texas, meant # cop going out im North Tyler and finding some poor black guy with three joints ‘They'd bust im and put outa press release saying a major drug bust had ‘See POLICE on Page 3A.Police ethics in drug bust questioned ‘Continued from Page 1A. been inade," said FR, (Buck) Files, one of Tyler's more prominent defense ‘torneys ‘But this drug bust was different. eventually would take even stranger twists, but the first indication that It was different were the names of those involved. ‘By the next afternoon, most of the 121 people had been arresied and their ‘names published in a long list on the front page of the local newspaper. A Inangfbl of the nemes jumped off the ‘age as being some of the city’s rich Kids. Many more, as indicated by their addresses, were children from South ‘Tyler’ large upper-middle clas. The city was shocked, “I looked lke ‘everybody in the city was using drags, one resident said. ‘Without question, the first reaction tothe bust by the city asa whole —and probably sul the most prevalent fee: Ing — Was great pride in the local po- lice force for rounding up so many "pushers" ‘Tyler is a very conservative, law. abiding, church-golng town, The resi- ‘dents were stunned to learn the magni tude of the drug problem but grateful the police were taking ction, ‘Then the secondary reactions began. "Among the city’s young people, word quickly spread that the bust may ‘ot have been as totally honorable as the newspapers indicsted "The drag bust was based entirely on fight months of undercover work by two neweomers to the Tyler police force, s2year-old Creig Matthews and ‘2yesrold Kimberly Ann Ramsey. The two had posed as Jim Meyers and Karen Brooks, two partying, happy-g0- lncky types aways ready to try any var fiery of drug, ‘Matthews got a job as a bartender's helper ata private Tyler club thet is @ favorite gathering spot for young peo- ple. (Smita County isdry.) ‘Funloving Jim and Keren were soon accepted into an everswidening circle of friends. Matthews has testified that he only’ simulated using drugs during the eight ‘months of partying and fun. He seid he hhas never been under the influence of sllegal narcotics except for an incigent {in whicb someone slipped e halluceno- ‘genic drug into his drink in January. ‘But the word among the young peo- ple — virtually all of whom knew or Jenew of at least one person arrested — was Matthews had possessed and used Substantial quantities of drogs. They Sid he and his girlfriend always had drags thet were much beter than the variety generally aveilable in Tyler. ‘Tyler's older residents didn’ near fr didn't pay much ettention to those rumors. Their secondary reaction 10 the bust was embarrassment. They were embarrassed for the city and for the families of those involved ‘at the country clubs, people « cercised extra caution in discussing the case since it involved so many ‘members oftheir social circle. Te par tents of suspects found themselves ex periencing uncomforible glances and Sulted conversations. Joyce Paro. has experienced the strain — both from a personal stand point and in a social Sense. Her two Gangbters were both arrested in the roundup. “It's been very similar to a death is the family," she said, ‘Tve shed more ‘ears in the last four months than I did im the last five years over my husband's dest “When Tm out, I see the look ia people's eyes — the look of sympathy nd pity. I's hard for me to explain, but don't really want their pity. I've be- ‘come almost antisocial It's ridiculous, Dutit's just the way fet “I think a Jot of people ust resent ‘that the Rose Capital ofthe World has a small blotch on its name,” she said ‘The Rev. 3, Pittman McGehee, minis ter of Tyler's Curis Episcopal Chureh, touched on the subject in a sermon shortly after the bust "Perhaps what ‘ought tobe learned is toat Tyler, Texas, ‘does exist in the real world. This town feannot continue t0 ook at itself with osecolored glasses. The some tempts ton and tragedy that exists anywhere, exists everywhere” ‘Once those preliminary reactions ‘were experienced, a more confusing Jess universal set of felings began to emerge. 1 began shen the first defendant ‘went to trial, vas found guilty and was ‘Sentenced tolife in prison. “Except for the most hardcore red- ‘necks whio are beyond redemption, peo- ple were shocked when a 21-year-old kid got life imprisonment for les then 1 gram of cocaine,” sei Dr. John Spur fn, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Tyler who has followed the case from the beginning. ‘The people of Tyler found their emo- ions ‘whipeawed a few weeks Inter ‘when a jury found the second defend antnot guilty twas during this second trial that the. young peoples rumors about Manhews moved into the courtroom ‘and into the public record. The defense ‘case centered on Matthews’ back: {ground and tactics, contending his ac. UUvities were worse than those of some people he was busting fous attempts by those caught and their Defense attorney Dick Grainger summed up nis argoment before the jury: "T’sall right clean up your eity, but you don't want tose adirty mop. ‘The jury found defendant Johny Green not guilty. One juror lster said ‘hey simply couldn't conviet Green on the basis of Matthews word alone. ‘Green's tral has been the only one 1m which substantial testimony against Matthews was allowed into evidence. It also isthe only tral that ended with @ “not guilty” verdict. So far four cases have been tried and six have brought silty peas. “Tuere were things that got into that tril that should not have and that have not gotten into any other tals. Smith County Dist. Atty. Hunter Brush said, “Whether that had any effect on the jury. 1 don't know. "The allegations against Mathews did eatch the attention of a few Tyler residents. “The thing I've heard re peated so often lately 1's really hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys: "Spurgia said ‘During that first trial {heard edu cated, responsible people saying things like the end justifies the means’ and hope the lawyers don't find a technical ity to spring these junkies," Sporgis stid, “But now there is more a feeling fof "les take a look at our police and ‘how this thing was conducted But Spurgin acknowledges that there isn't a large aumber of people concerned yet. "There's @ temptation fn this town for people to say the end jastifies the means when it comes 10 drugs # think the guy in K-Mart or out at KellySpringfleld (tire manufactur ing plant) is going to say, ‘No mater what the cops did, let's get these junk tes off the streets, "he sed “But if more comes out on Creig Marhews, i's going to force people 10 confront their ideas on drugs, law ex- forcement and some basic constitt- ‘onal rights," Spurgin said Mrs. Paro said a division is becom: ing apparent beween those who sap port the police to the hilt and those ‘who are beginning to question the eth- {es of the drug bust “Tes not always talked about: it's just ‘an underlying feeling. Youre aware of who the conservative people are and ‘wae the more liberal people are as far fs their attitudes toward this thing. A line has been draws "she said Dist. Arty. Brush said no one other ‘han those connected with the defen Gants have expressed any concern t0 bm about Matthews’ tactics or back: ground. “The only comments hear are from those that are highly offended at obvi attorneys to engage in cheracter ass. Sination of these police officers who ‘went out and endangered their ives in fan attempt {0 protect our children from drugs. They're just infuriated.” Brush said He is confident there will be no widespread breach of confidence in Matthess or the ?yler police. "We have very highaquality people in Smith County. They are not going to be feonned or snowed by these kinds of personal attacks.” Police Chief Wilie Hardy said he's seen no evidence of public concern ver the allegations against Matthews, We feel like the majority of our cith zens are intelligent’ enough 10 see through the smotescreen the defend: ment for their wrongdoing, “The solid citizens, the ones who can think for themselves, can make that distinction.” Hardy sid “The police chief said the size of the drug bust doesnt mean Tyler's drug problem is worse then that in other cit Jes “Ie's not that we've got any more drug pushers than the other tosrns it's just that we put more effort into catch ing them and we had two very effective ‘undercover agents ‘One of those "very effective nder- cover agents” Ms. Ramsey, is still ‘working undercover Meanwhile, Matthews spends most of is time these days at the courthouse testing in the drug trials. The juries fof Smith County are now experiencing ‘he ebarm and llkableness that makes Matthews 8 very effective undercover agent, Flashing his famous smile, Morthews Said between court appear. ‘ances, "We've exposed a problem. no the good couservative people of Tyler can geton top of itand handle it”