Lee Jones

Gerald Proctor had been friends with Mr. Jones since he started working weekends for Gauley Bridge as a police officer. When he heard rumors that the State Police were investigating Mr. Jones for sex crimes, Mr. Proctor began investigating on his own, starting with H.B. Clark.

The two had a conversation after Mr. Clark was arrested by state troopers for domestic battery. It was secretly recorded by the dashboard camera in Mr. Proctor's car. In the tape, Mr. Clark claims that the state police were trying to bribe his girlfriend into finding young men who'd claim they'd been raped by Mr. Jones.

“She said ‘If you know anything, I need you (sic) tell me, because, you know, I could do six months in jail,’� Mr. Clark tells Mr. Proctor on the tape. “'You know, I could help ‘em out, you know I’ll get my driver’s license back and I won’t have to go to jail.’ You see, that’s what she said Trooper Wheeler said to her.�

But instead of giving the tape to the State Police, Mr. Proctor turned it over to Mr. Jones.

“The prosecution was trying to frame him, which I knew that, and I knew if I gave them that tape that tape would no longer exist,� Mr. Proctor told Where Doubt Remains.

The state found out about the tape nearly six months later and from there, things got tricky for Mr. Proctor. According to grand jury transcripts, Mr. VanMeter told jurors he believed Mr. Proctor committed a crime by not turning the tape over to them. Mr. Procotor was forced in front of the grand jury himself, even though he was already listed as a defense witness. And then coincidentally, he ended up the subject of two separate law enforcement investigations.

One was a federal grand jury that was investigating if Gauley Bridge properly spent federal grant money used to pay Mr. Procotor’s police salary. As far as he can tell, Mr. Proctor said, federal prosecutors believed that he and the town were forging his work hours, paying him for time never worked. Mr. Thomas, the former mayor, was also forced to testify in front of the same grand jury. No charges were ever filed against either of them.

Mr. Procotor was also sued by the State of West Virginia for failing to obey a court order to pay child support. The problem was Mr. Proctor had never been ordered by any court to pay support, wasn’t divorced and still lived with his wife and two kids. They were still forced into court to defend the lawsuit, Mr. Proctor said, and it was ultimately dismissed because the state couldn't produce any evidence.