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Spring Valley police Officer David Lebron's defense lawyer today went after the character and testimony of a key prosecution witness, who had told the jury that Lebron tipped him off about pending police raids.
Joseph Houston, a former bar manager in Spring Valley, answered questions about his criminal past and his drug use from Lebron's lawyer, Richard Murray.
Houston, who now runs a Costa Rica-based Internet gambling site and publishes a magazine, once took sports bets and also had conviction involving a burglary and theft of jewelry from his landlady in 2006.
Lebron, an officer for nearly 16 years, is charged with felony counts of first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, as well as two misdemeanor counts each of official misconduct and sixth-degree conspiracy.
It wasn't quite clear what Costa Rican sportsbook Lebron owned as of Wednesday night.
"Well whoever this Houston guy is, he's a rat," proclaimed MajorWager.com forum moderator and Internet sleuth, Clevfan, who is usually quite good at uncovering these mysteries.
Houston continues testifying this afternoon before the jury and Judge Catherine Bartlett in the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
