WSB's Veronica Waters reports Dewey Clark's testimony had already concluded, and court was in recess; the jury was not in the courtroom at the time.

Clark was Bill Campbell's personal assistant during Campbell's second term, and told his FBI escort that a man in the back of the courtroom had threatened him by making a slashing motion across his throat.

The U. S. Marshal, Richard Mecum, identified the man as 41-year-old Paul Debnam. Debnam has frequently come into the courtroom to watch testimony at the Campbell trial, but it's not clear if he has any relationship with Campbell himself.

Federal Marshals say that their initial questioning indicated Debnam had called Clark in recent weeks threatening to hurt or kill him if he testified. He was taken into custody in the hallway, and the U. S. Attorney's office originally said Debnam would "face a federal charge related to threatening a witness" when he appeared before a federal magistrate that afternoon.

Federal authorities interviewed Debnam, who admitted that he had made the gesture but explained that he had done it to discourage Clark from talking to the federal authorities anymore. He apologized for doing so. The U. S. Atttorney's office decided not to charge Debnam, who agreed not to attend any further proceedings of Campbell's trial. Debnam also agreed to write letters of apology to Judge Richard Story and Clark.

Mecum said there had been no proof of the alleged phone calls.

"If there were witnesses, he could be charged with making terroristic threats," said Mecum. "Without witnesses, we had nothing."

On the stand Dewey Clark had testified that after he passed Campbell $50,000 from a strip club owner over the course of about a year, Campbell denied the liquor license that man had been seeking.

In later testimony, Campbell's former executive assistant testified she overheard a conversation in Campbell's office in which Clark told Campbell, "You know you wrong, you took that boy's money!" Serena Skaggs told the jury the Mayor replied, "Technically I didn't; you did."

Skaggs admitted that she had never told the FBI of the alleged conversation when she was interviewed years ago, and said at the time, she feared losing her job.

Skaggs also said she again began communicating with Clark a couple of years after he left his job at City Hall. She testified that he had given her money on occasion.

"If you asked Dewey for money, he'd give it to you," Skaggs said. "It was just money for my son."

Wednesday, 1 February 2006