Lawrence Cooper Jr., who was the first witness for the prosecution in Mayor Frank Melton's felony trial, said the incident began when he heard people outside the duplex say, "The folks are coming," which is code for the police. Alexander asked him how Evans "Bubba" Welch reacted. Cooper said that Welch went to the front door and looked out.
"Did he run to the bathroom and flush anything?" Alexander asked.
"No," Cooper replied. "There wasn't nothing to flush."
Cooper, who said he lives about seven houses down from 1305 Ridgeway, identified all three defendants at being present the night of Aug. 26. He said he was a frequent guest of Welch's before the Ridgeway incident.
He went on to describe how he heard a loud bang from the back of the duplex, where the back door was always locked. Then, a man with "a gun and a flashlight" came into the living room and started shouting. Cooper said the man, whom he identified as Wright, never identified himself as police or presented a search warrant. Moreover, he said that he never saw police search the house for drugs or bring in drug-sniffing dogs.
He said that Melton was outside, and told him, "'Don't let me catch you over here again. If I catch you over here again, I'm throwing your ass in jail.'"
Cooper then described how "a bunch of boys" stepped off the Mobile Command Center, and Melton "was speaking to them."
He said that Melton used a large stick to smash in four windows on the side and two in front, when Melton cut his hand. He said that Melton "motioned to" the youths and ordered them inside the duplex with sledgehammers. One of the youths said, "'We're Wood Street in here tearing up the Virden Addition,'" Cooper said.
After the first visit, Welch and Cooper went back inside to salvage "stuff that wasn't tore up." He described smashed television, a smashed radio, a destroyed couch and paint flung all over the kitchen.
When Melton et al. returned, Cooper said Melton's hand was bandaged and they had "three or four" more young men to help them smash the house further. He said that Recio helped tear down the front wall of the house. Recio said, "'I'll show you how to do it,'" Cooper testified.
On cross-examination, Melton attorney Dale Danks asked how Cooper is employed. Cooper said he is a mechanic who works for himself.
"How do you get your business?" Danks asked.
Cooper said it was by word of mouth, and he acknowledged that he did not have a shop, saying that he worked in his yard or at others' properties.
Danks started to ask him if he was "certified," but prosecutors objected that what Cooper did for a living was irrelevent. Webster sustained.
Cooper admitted that he had seen crack in the house and that he knew the house had a "reputation" as being a crackhouse. He had never seen Tammy Callahan, who will testify for the defense, in the house. He said that he had seen next-door neighbor Yolanda Allen in the house, "but she doesn't hang out."
Cooper admitted to seeing raids in the neighborhood before, and he said that he had never been arrested. When Danks asked if others had been arrested there, prosecutors objected, and Webster sustained.
Danks suggested that Melton had told Welch that he should go back to stay with his parents, and Cooper protested that Welch had been trying to gather up clothes and other salvageable items before Melton's second visit that night, when police arrested Welch.
Robert Smith, who is an attorney for Wright, tried to get Cooper to admit that "folks are coming" was a code designed to give warning to drug dealers, but objections from the prosecution ended that line of questioning.
On redirect, Alexander asked Cooper to show his hands to the jury. "What's that on your hands?" he asked. Cooper said it was oil. "Why do you have oil on your hands?" Alexander asked. It was from working on cars, Cooper replied. "Are you a certified mechanic?" Alexander asked.
"Certified enough for people in the neighborhood," Cooper answered, eliciting laughter from the audience.
"Even if not for him?" Alexander added, pointing toward Danks.
Cooper said that although he had seen other raids before Aug. 26, it was "totally different" than other nights.
Alexander then asked how close Cooper was standing to Melton. When Cooper said it was about four feet, Alexander asked him if he had smelled anything on Melton's breath.
The defense immediately objected and called for a mis-trial. Webster granted the objection, warning Alexander that his question was "inappropriate, at least for redirect," but refused to grant a mis-trial. He directed the jury to disregard Alexander's question.
Cooper said that the only "real" police car that night left after officers spoke to Melton.
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