Testimony continued in the police corruption trial Thursday morning as prosecutors focused on one of the counts alleging an accused officer tried to bribe another to keep him from providing information about alleged offenses.
Eric Cullen, a private investigator for Henderson, testified on the 10th day of the prosecution’s case in the police corruption trial Tulsa Police Officer Bill Yelton, 50, and fellow Tulsa Police Officer Jeff Henderson, 38.
Cullen’s testimony centered on whether he helped former federal agent Brandon McFadden obtain free legal services from Clark Brewster to fight McFadden’s indictment on federal charges in April 2010.
Instead, McFadden, a former agent for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, obtained attorney Neal Kirkpatrick and pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. He began cooperating with federal prosecutors in the police corruption probe.
In his testimony, McFadden has given extensive detail of alleged criminal behavior between himself and Henderson.
Brewster is a noted attorney who has offered more than $1 million in free legal services to help the city of Tulsa fight lawsuits stemming from the grand jury investigation of the Tulsa Police Department.
Thus far, six lawsuits have been filed by individuals alleging wrongful imprisonment who have since been freed.
The specific count in question Thursday alleges that if McFadden had used another attorney, he would not have agreed to help in the federal probe.
In Cullen’s testimony, he told prosecutor’s the idea to offer McFadden free legal services did not come from his client, Henderson.
Instead, the idea came from discussions he had with McFadden’s mistress, Amie Slemaker, who began testimony after Cullen. She allegedly told Cullen McFadden was running short on money and tried to help Cullen in communicating the idea to McFadden.
Prosecutors tried to connect Cullen and Slemaker’s idea to Henderson, who was a party with the three during discussions of the situation two times.
However, Cullen denied that Henderson was a part of the idea to get McFadden free legal services, saying that the idea came from a private, earlier discussion between Slemaker and himself.
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