The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-21
Grssett On Stand
During Trial Here
Former Police Officer Tells
Court OF Earlier
Offenses

Ex-Police Officer Roy Grissett
nervously told a New Hanover
County Superior Court jury yester-
day afternoon that it was ''some-
tines necessary for him to be
under oath in order that he might
tell the truth.
That admission came under the
rapid-fire cross = examination of
Solicitor Clifton Moore. Grissett
took the stand as court reconvened
from the noon recess He is
charged with larceny and receiv-
ing while a member of the local
police force.
A charge of store-breaking and
entering was dismissed yesterday
morning by Judge Luther Hamil-
ton, presiding.
Grissett admitted to the court
that everything he had told Chief
Charles Casteen, during the in
vestigation of the case, was a lie.
"You weren't telling the chief
the truth, were you?" Moore ask
ed.
"No!" he said. 1T wasn't under
OATH"
"Do you have to be under oath
to tell the truth?" Moore asked.
Sometimes" he said.
The questions were directed at
Grissett when he denied that he
had three cupboard motors belong
ing to the Anchor Hardware Co.,
for which he stands indicted.
Casteen had testified that Girls
sett had admitted the charge in
the presence of other officers.
During the cross-examination, he
admitted that when he was a boy
of II he wrote a letter to a married
woman which contained improper
proposals. He also said that he
got into similar trouble just before
he entered the army.
Solicitor Moore asked him If it
wasn't the truth that on the way
home from church the day he was
baptized he stole a goat and sold
the animal for $i.50.
Grissett answered IN the affirma-
tive, but his answer was stricken
from the record under objection
by his attorneys.
Dressed in the same blue suit
which he has worn throughout the
trial, he visibly was nervous dur
ing his so minutes on the witness
stand.
He said that in 1899 he was con-
victed of assault ON a female.
However, he said the charge later
was dismissed after he had Joined
the army. He was sent to the East
ICarolina training school and spent
seven months there when he was
II years old, he said.
Denies Theft
Grissett, %, denied stealing the
cupboard motor from the Anchor
Hardware Co. here. He said he
got the motor from a truck driver
named Golf. He said that was all
he knew about the man, he called
lGoff, except that he drove a big
van to Wilmington about every
three months loaded with hard
ware
He said that he had been in the
service with Golf. He said that
he didn't know the name Of the
transfer company for whom Golf
worked, nor did he knew where
Golf delivered the merchandise he
brought to Wilmington from some
northern point.
Grissett said Golf came to town
late at night and parked the truck
at Second and Dock Streets. This
was where he got the motor in
Question, which he said he sold to
Adell Somerset.
He said he paid $50 for the motor
and sold it for $130. He said he
bought other motors from a man
named Krug, who operated a
chicken stall at the city market.
But Krug has disappeared, he
said, to parts unknown. He said
he also had bought some shotguns
and rifles from Krug.
Moore asked him why he had
lied to the police chief, Sergeant
E. B. Murray and Harry Fales
when they were questioning him
about the matter.
He said that he admitted the act
because they told him if "You
don't we will go get your wife
and put her in Jail"
Grissett denied that he tried to
raise money with which to prose
cute H. L. Gurley, another ex-
CONTINUED On Page g., Column II