Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 7, 1995                   TAG: 9509070066
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

LAWSUIT TO REMOVE WYTHE SUPERVISOR IS DISMISSED

Circuit Judge Colin Campbell ordered the suit against Fort Chiswell Supervisor Olin Armentrout dismissed Wednesday, noting that it was virtually the same suit brought against Black Lick Supervisor Charles Dix earlier this year.

Both suits claimed the supervisors exceeded their authority by negotiating with Corrections Corporation of America, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company that had hoped to build a 1,500-bed private prison near Wytheville.

The suits said they discussed higher employee salaries and a gift to the county of some 400 excess acres at the site. Also, the suits claimed, the supervisors broke the law against accepting gifts by allowing CCA to pay for tickets to fly them from Nashville to Cleveland, Texas, to talk to residents about a CCA operation there.

After their report Feb. 1, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 to welcome CCA.

Campbell's decision came one day after the state Department of Corrections dropped CCA from the list of six companies it was considering for a contract to build the 1,500-bed prison. CCA and the Wytheville site still are in the running for a 1,000-bed facility.

Circuit Judge Willis Woods dismissed petitioners' charges against Dix on March 24, saying there had been no showing of evidence that Dix misused his office in any way. Woods has since retired, and Campbell succeeded him.

Armentrout's attorney had asked Campbell to dismiss the suit in a hearing last week. Campbell ruled Wednesday that the two suits involved the same interests and the same situation, so he rendered the same decision.