Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 10, 1993 TAG: 9302100106
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
GRAND JURY TO HEAR EXTORTION CHARGES
Two charges against a Blacksburg man of attempting to extort two New River Valley lawyers will go to a Montgomery County grand jury after a preliminary hearing in General District Court on Tuesday.Douglas C. Price, 57, is accused of sending threatening letters to Keith Neely and Max Jenkins in July and August.
Neely and Jenkins have represented Price's ex-wife in divorce and child support proceedings. They turned the letters they received over to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and asked for an investigation.
In the letters, Price demanded return of a farm that he lost through court proceedings following his divorce, according to an investigation report filed by the sheriff's office. He also made threats against Jenkins and threatened in his letter to expose Neely's "drug dealing if this is not returned," according to the report.
Jenkins and Neely say Price lost his property in judgments obtained against him for failing to pay child support, and that they had no way of returning the property.
Jeff Rudd, Price's attorney, asked Jenkins why he pursued charges against Price, when lawyers are used to getting threatening letters from people in domestic cases.
Jenkins said one letter may not be unusual but receiving three or four is, especially when he learned Neely and a Giles County lawyer also received similar letters. The Giles County lawyer did not pursue charges.
Neely testified he has represented Price's former wife for several years in efforts to collect child support. Price has lost property in Giles and Montgomery counties after liens were attached in an effort to collect those debts, Neely said.
Neely said he decided to turn over the letter he received to authorities because he grew tired of allegations Price made against him.
Neely testified that he believed Price's allegations have affected his sentencing on a federal charge of misdemeanor cocaine possession.
Neely, who is on probation for a 1990 misdemeanor cocaine possession conviction in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, was indicted last year on charges he served as a middle man for drug transactions and used his law offices to aid a New River Valley drug ring from 1986 to 1990.
Neely said Price sent him a letter when he was charged with the cocaine possession, suggesting he could go to federal authorities with further allegations.
Neely said prosecutors entered hearsay evidence at his sentencing hearing that Price had complained to the Blacksburg Police Department that he had seen Neely give marijuana to some children. Neely denies that allegation.
Because of the previous problems, Neely said that when he received Price's letter of Aug. 3, "I'd pretty much had enough of it," and he went to authorities.
Bob Fleet, the sheriff's investigator, said Price was very cooperative, but blamed Jenkins and Neely for losing his property.
Rudd told Judge Ray Grubbs that the charges against Price more resembled a domestic quarrel than a criminal case. A restraining order would have been a more appropriate action for the lawyers to take, he said. Jenkins and Neely don't even own the property Price wants back, he said, so the the charge of trying to extort property wasn't correct, Rudd argued.
"This is not an extortion case," Rudd said of his client, who came to court in a wheelchair. "He lacks the criminal intent. It's a disgruntled person."
But Skip Schwab, assistant commonwealth's attorney, said the letters threatened injury to the lawyers' characters and that was enough to constitute extortion.
Price, who had been out on bond, is now in the Montgomery County Jail for contempt of the court-ordered child support payments.