Day 6: Key Witness Testifies In Tulsa Police Corruption Trial

Lori Fullbright, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- A key witness testified in the corruption trial Monday of Tulsa police officers Jeff Henderson and Bill Yelton.  He's a drug dealer named Ryan Logsdon.

Logsdon isn't a small time dealer, he's a major distributor. He says he moved a million dollars worth of meth on the streets of Tulsa in the past 15 years and that's in addition to the other drugs he sold.

First, he was an informant for the cops, now he's an informant against the cops for the FBI.

Logsdon says after Officer Jeff Henderson and former ATF Agent Brandon McFadden busted him for drugs, he began working for them as an informant, snitching out other dealers to be arrested.

He says after a time, Henderson and McFadden would sell him drugs to sell to others. Most of his testimony was about the conviction of Larry Barnes and his daughter Larita.

Several witnesses say the Barneses were well known, big-time meth dealers in north Tulsa. Logsdon testified at their trial that he bought meth from the Barneses in an undercover operation for Henderson and McFadden.

Henderson and McFadden also testified about the undercover drug buy at the Barneses' trial. The Barneses were convicted and sent to prison.

However, now Logsdon says he lied during that trial, that he never bought drugs that day from the Barneses and that he lied because Henderson and McFadden made him do it, that they threatened to send him to prison and take away his son if he didn't.

McFadden testified last week that he and Henderson coached Logsdon on what to say during the Barnes' trial. McFadden said he also lied during the Barneses' trial and the father and daughter were later released from prison and are now suing the City of Tulsa.

Like many witnesses called so far, Logsdon had no dealings with Officer Bill Yelton. On cross examination, Logsdon admitted he would do anything to stay out of prison and that he had lied to other federal juries after taking the same oath to tell the truth that he took today.

He says he hasn't been promised anything to testify, but acknowledged he hasn't been charged with lying in court or drug dealing and hasn't had a D-H-S investigation, even though he says he sold drugs at home and in his car, in front of his son.

He said he was hoping he would get leniency for his testimony.

 8/5/2011 Related Story: Day 5: Feds Continue To Present Their Case Against Two Tulsa Police Officers