March 16, 1967
FENNER O. SEDGEBEER, after being duly sworn by the Foreman of the Orleans Parish Grand Jury, testified as follows:
MR. SEDGEBEER:
I was requested by the Chief Investigator, Mr. Louis Ivon, to run a check on one Thomas Louis Clark through the B of I, Bureau of Identification, of Jefferson Parish. I contacted Technician Palumbo of the Jefferson Parish Bureau of Identification, and he immediately started processing it through there. He came up with one Thomas Louis Clark that was arrested on February 10, 1966, for theft and possession of an automobile valued at $1300.00 -- and another record reflected that on February 2, 1967, Clark was arrested and charged with Art. 107, paragraph 5 and 7, that is relative to vagrancy and loitering in the 3600 block of Veterans Highway at 4:00 AM on that date. At 10:20 PM (this is another record), Clark was again arrested by Jefferson Parish authorities along with a juvenile, 16-year-old youngster, a white juvenile, at which time he was coming out of an apartment of the Studio Arms, located at 3500 Division St. He was questioned by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff, could not give a good account of himself, and upon being searched, they found a credit card in his possession, and this credit card was in the name of one David D. Martin, Sr., when Clark was asked what he was doing with this card, he said that he received it from David Ferrie, a white male, approximately 45 years old, residing at 3330 La. Ave. Parkway. The officer then rebooked Clark with RS 107 -- 14:107, paragraph 5, 7 and 8 and also RS 14:69 -- 107 is vagrancy, having no visible means of support, and the 8 is, I think, habitual unemployment. The 14:69 is possession of stolen property, which would be the credit card he had in his possession. It was additionally learned from Palumbo that Clark had been paroled at 4:35 AM on the first charge, that was 4:00 AM in the morning [sic], at 4:35 by one Dean Andrews, to a Dave Ferrier [sic] on the first one and a Dave Ferrie on the second charge, and this was -- or rather, on February 6, 1967, a bond was set by Judge Stoulig, of $250.00. The bond was subsequently made by the Hebert Bonding Co. of Jefferson Parish. Now, if you want the juvenile's name -- that usually remains -- that shouldn't be revealed -- it was revealed to me through my confidential source up there -- I would like to ask Mr. Volz if it would be all right to bring it before the Grand Jury, as that usually remains . . .
A. [sic] I don't think that is necessary, to bring it up here.
BY A JUROR:
This happened in 1967 -- arrested a few weeks ago?
A. The bond was set a few weeks ago, but the parole was made in February.
Q. Is this the first connection you made of this boy with Ferrie?
A. Dean Andrews?
MR. SEDGEBEER:
This is all that is made with the connection of Clark -- the individual there -- you have to come up with a specific case in order for us to run a complete check.
Q. When did Ferrie die>
A. February 22, 1967.
Q. When was this boy Tommie arrested?
A. The main arrest we are interested in was February 5, 1967, at which time he was arrested on two separate occasions and paroled by Dean Andrews. Now, they had a typographical error -- I assume it was an error -- because on the first arrest, it was at 4:30 in the morning, shortly thereafter being booked [sic] -- you are allowed to make a call -- so he made his call there and was paroled by Dean Andrews for a Dave Ferrier [sic].
Q. Well, Dean Andrews refers to Ferrie as Ferrier. Whether it is deliberate or not, I do not know. That is how he pronounces the name, Ferrier.
MR. SEDGEBEER:
We verified this with Tommie Clark himself, and the old charge made in 166, February 10, was thrown out, that was the theft of the automobile.
Q. That was his parole by Andrews, then?
A. No, at that time, I didn't have a check made on it. Just this time, a coincidence, he came up with all this -- Technician Palumbo.
Q. The charge of the theft of the credit card -- has that come up for trial?
A. No, it has not. He is still under the RS 14:107 -- no means of support, and things like that. But still it belonged to another individual there -- what they will do with that, I don't know.
BY A JUROR:
Q. Did you see what DA dismissed the case?
A. No.
Q. It would be interesting to see who dismissed the case -- who nolle prosequied the case.
A. I talked to the young man and he verified this, and in addition, I asked him about, did Ferrie ever mention Dean Andrews, and he said, oh, yes, he said Dean Andrews -- he felt that Dean Andrews was his brother.
CERTIFICATE
I, Maureen B. Thiel, do hereby certify that the proceding transcript is a true and correct copy of the testimony given, under oath, in the preceding matter, before the Orleans Parish Grand Jury, on the 16th day of March, 1967, and reduced to typewriting by me.
[signed] Maureen B. Thiel