CAA: GA News, "Grand Jury investigates gun purchase for California airport"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

Grand Jury investigates gun purchase for airport
By Jim Schultz
The Record Searchlight


DUNSMUIR - The Siskiyou County Grand Jury has subpoenaed members of the
Dunsmuir City Council, apparently to get to the bottom of the controversial
purchase of machine guns by this town's city manager to guard tiny Mott
Airport.

Councilman Kenneth Humbertson confirmed Monday that he and some other
council members were subpoenaed Saturday and ordered to appear before the
19-member Grand Jury Nov. 14.

"They haven't told us what it's about," he said, adding that he's certain
the matter revolves around the purchase of the machine guns.

Humbertson said he wanted to speak with Dunsmuir Mayor Wayne Meredith before
making any further comments.

Meredith, who was out of town Saturday and has yet to be served his
subpoena, said Monday that he welcomes the Grand Jury's involvement.

"I'm glad that this is coming to a head and the truth can finally come out,"
he said.

And, he said, he's confident the Grand Jury will find no wrongdoing on the
city's part.

"We (the City Council) didn't do anything wrong, the city manager didn't do
anything wrong and the airport security director didn't do anything wrong,"
he said. "I can't say the same for the Sheriff's Department."

The purchase of two shotguns, as well as two M-P5 automatic machine guns, by
City Manager Michael Powers has been a hot topic here since it came to light
in May when Siskiyou County sheriff's deputies raided his home and office in
search of the weapons.

Deputies also searched the home of David Fabbrini, the city's volunteer
airport security director.

Meredith said Powers had the authority from the City Council to provide
security at Mott Airport.

"And Sheriff (Charlie) Byrd, from everything I can tell, didn't like anyone
providing law enforcement without his permission, which we did not need," he
said.

Powers and Fabbrini claim the search was a political vendetta on the part of
Siskiyou County Sheriff Byrd, whom they have criticized in the past. They
filed a federal lawsuit last week against the sheriff and the county, saying
their civil rights were violated by the raid.

Powers maintains in the lawsuit the firearms were legally obtained by him
last year in his authorized capacity as the city's interim police chief to
increase security at Mott Airport, which has been closed since December over
a property dispute that centers on tall trees obstructing its flight path.

Byrd has denied the claims the May 22-23 searches were carried out as part
of a political vendetta.

"There was no retaliation," he has said.

Sheriff's Department officials have maintained the investigation was
triggered when they received a telephone call from a Kentucky gun dealer
asking if they had received a shipment of two machine guns ordered by
Powers.

Relations between the city and Byrd became strained about two years ago when
the city voted to end contact negotiations with the Sheriff's Department for
law enforcement.

The department has provided law enforcement to the city since it disbanded
its police department in 1992, but city officials were interested in
resurrecting its police department after becoming unhappy with the sheriff's
service and complaining that some deputies were too aggressive.

Still, the City Council later voted to reopen contract negotiations and the
city and Sheriff's Department were able to strike an agreement.

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