LAYWER RESPONDS TO CALL FOR GRAND JURY IN COUNTY

Dear Editor:

I read your article in the Nov. 21, 1991 issue of the Southeast Missourian. I would assume you quoted Judge A.J. Seier correctly and if you did, I certainly agree with him, namely a grand jury in this matter would be a waste of time and taxpayers' money.

I would assume that you may well have quoted Morley Swingle incorrectly because I am quite sure that Morley knows that citizens have full rights and that people who have a fairly decent lawyer will be advised not to run the risk of saying something a little bit wrong when they have already been declared a suspect, or even if they have not, and that the most prudent thing to do is "take the Fifth" and keep repeating it from a card after every question until they give up and run them out, whether it is at the end of 50 questions or 150 questions. All it would amount to in this instance, and in most instances, would be to harass somebody or take advantage of poor people who cannot afford to hire decent lawyers.

I represent Mrs. Marie Moore, two of her daughters and one of her sons. They have cooperated with the various police people until they are worn out of cooperating. Enough is enough, so a halt was called for. One or two of the deputies had nothing better to do than to go out there and use the telephone at the Moore farm and run up a big bill and have thus far refused to reimburse Mrs. Moore for the phone calls they made as though the sheriff's department is broke.

I get the distinct impression that the letter that apparently Mr. Swingle prepared and got everybody to sign was just a form of "grandstanding" or carrying on a "charade" to cover up some inadequacies in the police work, at least in this instance.

Very sincerely yours,

Albert C. Lowes

Cape Girardeau