Lengthy trial expected for Metro officer

Kim Smith

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 | 9:24 a.m.

Next week's trial of a Metro detective accused of robbery could last as long as eight days, attorneys on both sides of the case told District Judge Donald Mosley on Tuesday.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lalli told Mosley he intends to call more than 20 witnesses in his case against Jack Brandon, 41.

Brandon, a 14-year Metro veteran, is accused of pepper-spraying two United Coin employees inside Rae's Restaurant and Lounge in Henderson on Feb. 22 and making off with an undisclosed amount of cash in his Metro-issued car.

In explaining the inordinate length of the trial, Lalli explained that the robbery is alleged to have occurred in the middle of an ongoing investigation into Brandon's activities, thus the amount of evidence gathered is "more than normal."

According to police reports, the investigation was launched six weeks before the robbery after Brandon's bank told authorities there had been a large amount of cash transactions -- more than $500,000 -- in the past 12 months.

Police put a satellite tracking device on Brandon's police car and that device showed Brandon was in the location of the robbery at the time of the robbery, according to the report.

Brandon has claimed in police reports that he was in the area but he was sitting at a coffee shop at the time.

Defense attorney Steve Stein also told Mosley that the trial will take longer than usual because of its circumstantial nature. No one actually saw Brandon at the crime scene, he said.

According to grand jury transcripts, Brandon is alleged to have worn bandages over his face, sunglasses and a baseball cap during the heist.

A security supervisor for the Tropicana hotel told grand jurors he once worked on a robbery case with Brandon in which the robber used a similar get-up.

The supervisor said he and Brandon watched a surveillance tape of the robbery together in 1997.

"Jack said 'Wow.' In effect, he said 'Look at how well that conceals his face or covers his face up. It would be difficult to pick him out of a lineup with that tape and baseball cap,' " he said.

The grand jury transcripts indicate the witness who got the best look at the robber at Rae's could not identify Brandon as the man in a photo lineup.

Mosley, who has said he has a murder or sexual assault trial every week from now until June, said he would be going over the witness list closely to ensure no superfluous witnesses are called.

"It's going to be the robbery of the century," Mosley remarked as he dismissed the attorneys.

Brandon, who remains free on $15,000 bail, faces two counts of robbery and one count of burglary.

Brandon's superiors recommended he be fired last month. Brandon went before a pre-termination board last week and that board will make a recommendation to Sheriff Jerry Keller, who has the final say.