Why The Chua Case Is In Brunswick, One Word Smith

You know it is sad when even court judges can't trust a Sheriff. Here is the word on the streets.

In preparation for the hearing to determine the location of the trail, ADA Jackie Johnson had subpoenaed everyone that knew or could know about Dr. Chua's preferential treatment. Rumor has it that all of the following were subpoenaed: Smith, Jailers, The Lang Marina guys that towed in the boat from Cumberland Island with Chua in it, and some of the other passengers on board. Rumor also has it that one of the other ADA's has a cell photo of Dr. Chua wondering around the old courthouse, and the DA also has the proof that he was on the Internet( This is important because some Chau supporters have claimed that Topix was not able to provide information to the the court, My sources tell me otherwise).

Now Dr. Chua originally had Bob Crowe from Brunswick as his attorney, but when Smith heard of the change of location hearing he brought in his own lawyer, Don Samuels from Atlanta. Another lawyer paid with the drug fund money. If you don't believe this is Smith's Attorney look at the post"What Did Bill Do" about 7 post down, the first couple of lines that tell the attorneys for Smith, in the case were the court found he had lied.

Word on the street is that when Smith found out of all these other subpoenas he was "frantic". He knew that if the hearing went forward that Amanda Williams would hold him responsible for violating his oath of office and his oath as the jailer for Camden County. Rumor has it Smith was even talking about invoking the 5th amendment. So, the morning of the hearing Smith tries to talk to Amanda Williams and she refuses to speak with him. So from what everyone can figure out is Bill tells Samuels, to agree to whatever is necessary to avoid the hearing and thus keep Smith off the stand.

The DA proposes moving the trail to Glynn and having Glynn County Sheriff's Office handle the trail and Camden jurors. This would prevent Smith from bribing or getting to a juror. Remember it only takes 1 for a mis-trail. And of course the defense eagerly agrees. So that is why there really was not any hearing and the location was moved. I received this info last night in an email and had three others confirm that this is exactly what happened. But with that said I have not heard this from anyone actually involved in the case as they refuse to comment as the gag order is still in effect.

TRSP Review: So you have a Judge and a DA that can't even trust the Sheriff to watch a prisoner. Does anyone else think that is strange. I would say that those two should step up and do something, but maybe they are waiting to after this trail, because of the gag order. A lot of what Bill has been doing for years came out in this pre-trail phase. The question is will the court do anything about it?

Many Chua Supporters have said Chua is out of money. Who will pay for his new lawyer? Will Smith use the Drug Fund as he has in the past? We will watch and see.

After hearing all of this yesterday, I find this in the T-U this morning:

The Florida Times-Union
October 9, 2007

Selection of jury on Chua to begin

By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union

WOODBINE - Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in Brunswick for the upcoming trial of a St. Marys physician facing murder and drug charges. -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------

Noel Chua, 45, has been held at the Camden County jail since his arrest in September 2006 for the drug overdose death of 20-year-old Jamie Carter III in the doctor's Osprey Cove home on Dec. 15, 2005. Carter was Chua's patient and housemate at the time.
Nine months after Carter's death, a grand jury indicted Chua and charged him with murder and 17 counts of prescribing drugs to the victim for no apparent medical reason.
Chua has had widespread support from his former patients and friends who say Carter was addicted to narcotic painkillers and his death was accidental. Supporters have petitioned to have Chua released on bond until the trial and raised thousands of dollars to support his legal defense.
Carter's family has remained relatively quiet about the criticism by Chua supporters, who describe him as a "drug seeker." Carter's family said the trial will show the doctor's unusual relationship with their son and how the drugs prescribed to him led to his death.
Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams took the unusual step about two months ago to move the trial from Woodbine to Brunswick as a way to limit the involvement in the case of Sheriff Bill Smith, an unabashed supporter of Chua. Typically a trial is only moved at the request of defense attorneys, but Chua's lawyers never filed any such motion.

Instead, Williams made the decision to move the trial at the request of both prosecutors and defense attorneys prior to a hearing in August. The District Attorney's Office was expected to express concerns at the hearing about Smith's public support of Chua and the apparent preferential treatment he was receiving while being held in the county jail.
Smith has publicly stated he didn't believe Chua was guilty and supported his release from jail on bond until the trial. Smith also said he and Chua went to China in the spring of 2006 to seek alternative forms of treatment for Smith's son, Blake Smith, who is paralyzed from an automobile accident.
The judge's ruling means Camden County deputies will bring Chua to and from the Glynn County Courthouse each day. But they will not be allowed to have any interaction with any of the jurors, Williams ruled.
During the jury selection, both the defense and prosecution will have nine strikes to eliminate potential jurors without explanation. But the jury pool is expected to be whittled down with the general questions that will be asked of everyone.
The questions include: whether they are related to anyone involved with the prosecution or defense; if they have ever been one of Chua's patients; do they have a bias toward the prosecution, defense or defendant; do they have an opinion of Chua's guilt or innocence; and can they be impartial and consider all the evidence before forming an opinion in the case.
Because of extensive pre-trial publicity, the list of potential jurors is sealed and the final group of 12 jurors and three alternates will be sequestered for the entire length of the trial, expected to last about five days.

gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,(912) 729-3672

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100907/geo_206458462.shtml.