"Without taking a side, think about these questions. Do we really know where this begun? Is the information, other than court reports, accurate and factual or just rumors and opinions? Let use a non-bias scenario. What if the Houston bothers heard that Roane County Sheriff Dpt. was coming, and they probably knew who was going to show up. So what next?"

I can tell you when it started..It started in the early nineties when officers Dale Brown,Bryan Mullins,Tony Quinn and Jerry Washam were found guilty in United States District Court of violating Leon's civil rights by manufacturing a bag of pot.Leon was awarded only one hundred dollars and the harassment began!

I can tell you more facts even and I can tell you why they have so many supporters in the community where they lived.Its because for weeks we saw this policeman circle and circle the Houston's..We listened as he went to their neighbors houses and made their brags about only getting this job for one reason..to "take care" of our neighbors..Because I personally saw Mr.Jones repeatedly circle the Houston's,sometimes dozens of times in one afternoon..Now if they were out to do their jobs..why did they not drive two miles down the road to circle on by the Whittenmier family farm where one of the county's MOST WANTED was hiding out and do a look-see for him also?.Personally..if I had saw this happening I would have said way to do your job LEO!..But I never saw them making the effort to drive those two extra miles.

I don't smoke pot.But I have.There is no way that one joint is going to make five people so drugged up that they cant remember something as traumatic as the bloodbath they witnessed and no one will ever make me believe it did. I really don't think you will find twelve people who will!

So just ask yourself what you would do...They had heard Jones was coming to take care of them by people they knew and trusted..Neighbors and family members..They had elderly and juvenile family members they were responsible for..They believed their lives were in danger..They were HOME..I have five adult children who are healthy,happy and productive and I have taught them all the same thing..The world can run you home but when it does..you have the right to do anything to protect your life and the lives of your family.

And the facts are what we're looking for here. The hope is that by creating an open forum that we can provide a hard foundation for people to present information and argue the merits, which ever way the facts lead.

The tough part is weeding our opinion from facts. When Nlx201 writes two "murders were committed", that is a very prejudicial opinion, not a fact. The fact is that two officers died in a gunfight that they may or may not have instigated. The event had a long precursor history that doesn't speak well for anybody involved. There seems to be the "our side versus their side" in this and I think both sides are wrong and responsible to one degree or another.

"They say they were nice guys. Yes, a warrant was being served, but was it against orders?"

To answer that question.. David Haggard's testimony in Leon Houston's trial was that he had told his men NOT to serve the warrant on Rocky unless he found him in a public setting.Is your home considered public?

The dispatcher who was working that night said a lot of the deputies would call and tell the dispatcher that they were serving a warrant,Jones did not..He called and said he would be BUSY(???) on Barnard Narrows.

is the roane county news correct about him being shot in the rear if so it would apper he was running away from a gun fight!

The Court testimony was inconclusive on this particular point. I want to read the transcript, which doesn't seem to exist at this point.

the Houstons by repeatedly driving by and had made it obvious that they were watching them, they may well have triggered the tragic results. However, this is not the wild west and gunfights are not an acceptable method of dealing with badge heavy cops. The level of the Houstons'paranoia and their anger with the "system" should have been carefully considered by any officer who chose to deal with them. It's probable, and rather sad, that regardless of how these trials end, the citizens of Roane County will always be on one side or the other on this and that the losing side will claim that the jury was stacked. I still believe that if the trials had been moved out of the county, the question of an impartial verdict would never come up and the healing would be more complete.

I have a couple of questions that I wish someone could answer.

Where was the SWAT team that day?.They came before the shooting and I saw them there two weeks after the shooting to arrest a man for destroying his girlfriend's apartment in Harriman.He was staying with his brother in one of the rental houses on the Houston's property.

Why was a civilian who was on disability for mental reasons of any kind ,no matter his past experience,allowed to carry a gun and ride along in a police car?.And then to be taken to the Houston's?.I think I feel as sorry for Mr. Brown's mother as anyone involved .I have talked to her a little at court.She is a very gracious and kind lady.