Man cleared of chopper attack
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The no-true bill issued to Jerry G. Greene, 36, on two counts of aggravated assault was met with disbelief by Sheriff Jackie Matheny who vowed the case is far from over.
“I can’t comprehend how they wouldn’t indict this guy who two officers said, under oath, they saw point a gun at them,” Matheny said. “This isn’t over.”
In a somewhat unusual move, Greene reportedly testified on his own behalf before the grand jury Friday. Normally the tribunal only hears the accuser. However, in some instances a defendant may be allowed to testify.
Greene was accused of taking aim at a sheriff’s department helicopter which was on a meth lab spotting mission.
The airmen, including pilot Lt. Col. John Black and sheriff’s chief deputy Danice Taylor said they were hovering about 250 feet in the air looking at a dead cow when Greene pulled under them in his pickup, pulled a rifle and took aim at them. Both testified during preliminary hearing they saw Greene point the gun, with Taylor saying he would have fired on Greene with his automatic rifle had he been able to get the chopper door open.
A worker on Greene’s ranch said he saw the defendant race across the field to control a stampede caused by the roar of the chopper’s engine, but at no time saw him pull a gun. The man also said the gun lawmen saw Greene throw out had been used to shoot a dog earlier in the day, prompting Greene to try to hide it from officers.
Also at issue were the alleged lack of markings on the helicopter as Greene reportedly did not know the aircraft was an official law enforcement vehicle.
“I think there were concerns about the lack of markings on the chopper,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter of the department’s black helicopter.
However, Matheny questioned even if in doubt, why Greene would point a gun at a flying aircraft.
“It shouldn’t matter what kind of aircraft it is. You can’t just go around pointing guns at aircraft,” Matheny said. “There are markings already on it, but we’ll take care of making sure there’s no doubt about whose helicopter it is from now on.”
In the meantime, Matheny said lawmen plan to pursue federal charges against Greene for his alleged actions.
“There will be federal charges coming out of this I’m sure,” Matheny said.
The grand jury’s no-true bill means Greene is no longer under charges, pending his case going before a federal grand jury at a future time. Lawmen could also opt to send the case back before the local grand jury again. However, such action would probably not come while the current jurors remain on the panel through June.