Sides give differing accounts in second day of trial against ex Corbin police officer and son

It will likely be Monday afternoon before a nine-woman, four-man Whitley Circuit Court Jury decides whether a former Corbin police officer and one-time Whitley County Sheriff’s deputy and his son are guilty of assaulting a man while allegedly trying to rob him nearly three years ago.

Tony Ramey and his son, Perry Anthony Ramey, are charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree assault in connection with the June 13, 2007, incident that happened on Gilliam Street in Corbin. Perry Ramey is also facing a related stolen property charge.

Perry Ramey, who has had a long-time drug problem, stole a gun belonging to his father, and sold it to Dalton Christopher Brewer a few weeks before the incident.

Perry and Tony Ramey went to his residence that morning attempting to get the gun back, and Tony Ramey is accused of pistol whipping Brewer in the process.

During the second day of testimony Thursday, jurors got to hear taped statements that Tony and Perry Ramey gave to police hours after the incident, and also heard testimony directly from Brewer, who is suing the sheriff’s department and Tony

Ramey in connection with the incident.

Ramey was a card carrying deputy at the time and showed police his badge and police identification at the scene of the incident and said he was arresting Brewer.

The sheriff’s department denies that he was a certified deputy or that he was bonded at the time.

Gun sold

Russell Travis Hibbard testified that he had known Perry Ramey for more than a decade and lived directly behind Brewer in 2007.

He said that when Ramey first approached him about selling the gun, his initial thoughts were that it was stolen.

Perry Ramey told Hibbard that his father was a police officer, who got a new gun every year, and that his father had given him his old gun.

When Perry Ramey still had it a few days later, he approached Brewer about buying it, since he knew Brewer collected guns, he testified.

All sides agree that Hibbard and Brewer took the gun to the Corbin Police Department to have the serial number checked to make sure that it wasn’t stolen before Brewer purchased the gun for $300 cash.

Brewer’s girlfriend, Rachel Pool wrote up a bill of sale, which Hibbard signed as a witness. Brewer and Ramey also signed it.

Hibbard said that he wasn’t aware that Brewer sold drugs, and that he never sold or deliver drugs to Perry Ramey.

Perry Ramey’s account

During his police interview, Perry Ramey admitted to stealing a radio and laptop computer from his father’s martial arts studio, and staging it to look like a break-in.

He used the items and a $150 check that he stole from his father to pay off a drug debt that he owed to Michael Smith, who had threatened to kill him if he didn’t get the money.

Ramey said that he had been pretty clean since completing drug rehab in early April, but had used marijuana once between then and the June 13 incident with Brewer.

Ramey also admitted to stealing one of his father’s guns.

He told investigators that he had taken it to Hibbard, who took it to Brewer to pay off a past drug debt of about $200.

"I owed Chris money for drugs," he said in his statement to police.

Perry Ramey said he gave the gun to Hibbard, who brought him back $100 about 30 minutes later.

He said that he signed a bill of sale, but that he signed it in the parking lot of Hardees restaurant and not at Brewer’s home.
On the morning June 13, 2007, Perry Ramey said that he went to Brewer’s home with his father, who stayed in the vehicle at first.

Ramey told police that he knocked on Brewer’s door, and Brewer came out to speak with him.

"I asked him for the gun back, or we were both going to jail for stolen property," Perry Ramey testified.

Brewer told Ramey that he wasn’t getting the gun back unless he got his money back.

Ramey said that Brewer refused and took off running to get inside the house and pushed him to the ground and started choking him.

He said that he didn’t see what happened to get Brewer to let go, but he did. Pool then came out and started yelling. Ramey said that’s when she apparently called police.

Perry Ramey alleged that Brewer wanted people to call first before coming to buy drugs.

He said the procedure was the pull into Hibbard’s driveway, and tell Hibbard what you wanted and give him the money.

Hibbard would then get the pills from Brewer and bring them back to the buyer, Perry Ramey told police.

Perry Ramey said that he knew Brewer sold Oxycontin and Loracet, and that he also bought directly from Hibbard.

Tony Ramey’s account

In his taped interview to police, Tony Ramey noted his son’s drug problem and said that he found the gun missing a few days before confronting Perry about it on the morning of June 13, 2007.

His son admitted taking the gun and selling it to Brewer.

"Perry wanted me to go up there to see if he could get the gun back from Chris," Tony Ramey told police in his taped statement.

Ramey said that he stayed in the vehicle with his window down while Perry went to the door and saw him talk with Brewer.

Brewer walked toward Tony Ramey and told him that he had the gun and wasn’t giving it back.

Tony Ramey told police that he told Brewer the gun was stolen and that he was under arrest. Brewer then took off towards the house, and Perry Ramey jumped in front of him.

The two started to fight, went to the ground and Brewer ended up on top.

Tony Ramey said that he had the gun in his hand and went to try and pull Brewer off his son when the gun struck Brewer in the head.

"I didn’t intentionally pistol whip him like he said I did," Tony Ramey told police. "I did not intentionally hit him with the gun."

Tony Ramey said in his taped statement that he told Brewer several times to quit resisting arrest.

At the scene, Tony Ramey showed police a sheriff’s badge and identification.

Tony Ramey told police that he had been sworn in by District Judge Cathy Prewitt a few months before the incident, and that he had the oath papers along with a retired sheriff’s deputy badge at his home. He gave those to police after the interview.

During the interview, Tony Ramey admitted to "making an error in judgment" going to Brewer’s that day without a uniformed officer with him.

"I should never have listened to my stupid son," Tony Ramey told investigators. "I’m not telling anyone to sweep anything under the carpet. I’m not asking for any good old boy favors."

Brewer’s account

Brewer testified that he worked as a general contractor prior to the incident, and that he had been unable to work since then. He built the Welcome to Corbin sign at the entrance of town.

On the morning of June 13, 2007, Brewer said that he was lying on his couch, and was on pain pills due to an infection he got in his groin area doing volunteer work after Hurricane Katrina.

Then Perry Ramey knocked on the door, asked him to come outside, and asked for the gun back.

“When he said, ‘No, we’re just going to take it back!’ I said, ‘No! That’s not going to work,’” Brewer testified adding that he saw Tony running towards them with a pistol in his hand.

Brewer said that he tried to go back inside to call the police, but Perry Ramey prevented him from going back inside, tackled him around the neck and drug him to the ground.

He said that Tony Ramey beat him at least three times on his head saying that he was under arrest.

Brewer said that he lost consciousness and that when he woke up, he was laying on gravel rather than his porch, and that he could feel a tire next to him.

“I remember him (Tony) telling Perry to open the door, and saying, ‘We’re going to take the SOB down the road and kill him,” Brewer testified.

Brewer said that he took a rope or cord that was wrapped around his neck off, and crawled and then limped towards his door.

About the time he touched the doorknob, he felt Tony Ramey strike him from behind with the gun in the ribs, and pulled him to the ground.

He said Tony Ramey put a gun to his head repeatedly, and then kicked and stomped him.

About that time, Pool appeared at the door, and Brewer said that he told her to call the police.

“Tony Ramey said, ‘Don’t call the police. I am the police,’” Brewer testified.

He said that the rope or cord left ligature marks around his neck.

He told jurors that he still had a sunken spot in his head from the assault and a few cuts. He stood in front of the jury box at one point to show jurors the top of his head.

Brewer said that a civil lawsuit filed in federal court against the sheriff’s department and the Rameys’ had no impact on his testimony.

Cross examination

Under cross examination, defense attorneys read figures from the lawsuit that indicate Brewer is seeking over $7 million in damages.

“The only bearing on my testimony is to get justice for the people that hurt me,” he told jurors.

Brewer said that he was under the influence of an antibiotic and a Loracet pain pill that day.

Hospital blood work showed that Brewer had Methadone and Oxycodone in his system.

He denied taking methadone, and said that he did have a prescription for Oxycodone, which he admitted taking during a deposition last year.

In the deposition, he said that his father had given him a Percocet about two days prior to the Ramey incident.
Brewer denied selling or giving anyone drugs, including Perry Ramey.

Lawyers for both sides argued briefly out of the presence of the jury over whether jurors should be told that Brewer was arrested on various drug charges about a week after the incident with the Rameys’.

Johnson indicated that he wouldn’t allow jurors to hear that information unless attorneys could cite a legal precedent showing why he should.

Brewer said that he first met Perry Ramey the day he bought the gun from him.

Brewer said that he would be surprised to learn that Corbin Police Capt. David Maiden testified that he took a statement from him at the scene, and didn’t see ligature marks around his neck.

He said that Maiden talked to Tony and Perry Ramey most of the time at the scene.

Officers testify

Maiden testified that he was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene, and found Brewer handcuffed with blood on his head.

Officer Glen Taylor told Maiden that Brewer was frantic and that he handcuffed him for his own safety, Maiden testified.

Maiden said that he briefly spoke with Tony Ramey, who told him he was a card carrying deputy and pulled out his badge and identification.

When Maiden asked him why he pulled up there without a uniformed officer with him, Perry Ramey told him that he wouldn’t discuss the case further.

Maiden said that he didn’t speak with Perry Ramey at the scene.

Maiden said that he then went to talk with Brewer, who started to complain about severe stomach pain and said that he wanted an ambulance, which Maiden called for.

He also contacted by the sheriff’s department asking to speak with a supervisor so he could find out what authority a card carrying deputy actually had. Maiden didn’t think that they had any.

Sheriff’s Lt. Detective Chuck Davis responded to the inquiry and informed Maiden that he didn’t think a card carrying deputy had any authority to make an arrest either. Maiden then made arrangements for Helton to investigate the incident.
Maiden said that he spoke to Brewer for four to five minutes at the scene until the ambulance arrived, and got the following account of what had taken place.

Brewer told him about purchasing the gun, and that Tony and Perry Ramey showed up to his house that morning.

Brewer told Tony Ramey that he had a receipt for the gun and wouldn’t give it back, and that the two men then jumped him with Tony placing a gun to his head and threatening to kill him if he didn’t give it back, Maiden testified.

Ramey punched Brewer in the ribs with the gun, and started dragging him towards his vehicle. He offered to give the gun back, but Ramey said no and told him he was under arrest, Maiden testified about Brewer’s statement at the scene.

Brewer didn’t mention anything about a rope or cord being placed around his neck, and Maiden testified that he didn’t observe any injuries around his neck.

Maiden said that it is standard procedure for an officer out of uniform to get another officer from the proper jurisdiction to go with him to make an arrest.

Brewer wasn’t charged with resisting arrest or possession of stolen property, Maiden testified.

Davis testified that he went to the Corbin Police Department later that day at the direction of Sheriff Lawrence Hodge, who instructed him to find out what was going on and to confiscate Ramey’s sheriff badge and identification, if he had any.

He assisted Corbin Police Capt. Detective Tim Helton with interviews of both Perry and Tony Ramey that were taken hours after the incident at Brewer’s home.

Davis testified that he couldn’t find any information indicating that Tony Ramey had been bonded or certified as a deputy since 2003.

Davis said that he didn’t feel either Tony or Perry Ramey were elusive or evasive during their interviews with police.