Self Proclaimed Secret Agent Called HPD IAD and FBI During Pursuit
Link -
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...s/5748085.html
May 2, 2008, 12:50AM
In his final moments, Carnaby made calls to FBI, HPD as he fled
By LINDSAY WISE and DALE LEZON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
The patrol officer who stopped Roland Carnaby for speeding Tuesday morning was about to detain him as a possible CIA agent impersonator when he took off in his SUV, Houston police said Thursday.
Two days after officers shot Carnaby to death at the conclusion of a high-speed chase, more details emerged about the bizarre chain of events, including phone calls Carnaby made after he was pulled over.
First Carnaby called an acquaintance in Houston Police Department's internal affairs division, trying to get someone to vouch for him to the patrolman. Later, as he raced away from pursuing officers at speeds up to 120 mph, the man who had for years projected the persona of a federal intelligence officer apparently called a contact he knew in the FBI.
Carnaby initially had thought that by showing an ID card bearing the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency he could be on his way. But the officer who stopped him along Texas 288 near West Orem, already suspicious because of Carnaby's nervous behavior, did not recognize the ID card and told Carnaby he would check it out, HPD homicide Capt. Steve Jett said.
"The officer went back and checked the guy, and when he checked the license, the handgun permit came up and he was like, 'Why does a federal agent need a concealed handgun permit?' " Jett said.
Increasingly suspicious, the officer asked Carnaby for proof of his connection with the CIA.
"He asked him questions like who's your supervisor? Do you have a contact number you can call and verify? And the answers weren't very good," Jett said.
That was when Carnaby called someone he knew at HPD's internal affairs division. The officer asked the acquaintance if Carnaby really worked for the CIA.
"The answer was 'possibly yes,' " Jett said. "But the officer was obviously not inclined to just let him go. He was being very thorough and probably was going to write him a ticket, if not put him in jail for something, probably for not presenting a concealed handgun permit when he was stopped."
State law requires holders of concealed carry permits to present them when stopped by police if they have weapons in the car.
Doubts about Carnaby's true identity were compounded by conflicting information, Jett said. The officer also had contacted HPD's criminal intelligence and major offenders divisions to ask them to check Carnaby's credentials, he said.
"They told him 'No, we think he's a fraud,' " Jett said. "Something apparently triggered on his name, but again nobody was sure. Nobody's still sure. They'd heard his name before and they thought no, he's not (CIA)."
The officer was told to "find something to arrest him on; you can't arrest him for speeding," Jett said.
Carnaby had not shown his concealed weapon permit, which was sufficient violation to hold him. But when he was asked to step out of his SUV, Carnaby sped away, Jett said.
As HPD patrol cars began their pursuit, Carnaby called a friend on his cell phone. The friend, described by Jett as "possible FBI," urged Carnaby to pull over and obey police.
HPD investigators are still trying to get in touch with the friend to talk to him, Jett said. Local FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap declined to comment, saying it is inappropriate for the FBI to discuss an ongoing HPD investigation.
Autopsy video refused
Carnaby's lawyer, Kenneth Brooten, said the fatal shooting, which occurred after Carnaby exited his car at the end of the chase, did not appear necessary.
"All of this has a smell factor," Brooten said. "What was the justification for the use of deadly force? Was this man a felon that was fleeing the scene of an armed robbery? Had he pulled a gun on them previously? That's a public policy issue. That affects every person who drives around Houston or lives there."
Brooten said he sent a letter to the Harris County Medical Examiner's office asking that Carnaby's autopsy be videotaped, but county attorney Barbara Callistien wrote him back to say HCME does not videotape autopsies.
Brooten also wants the Texas Rangers to examine the case and the FBI to look at whether evidence has been tampered with.
A former chief counsel of the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, Brooten met Carnaby several years ago and served as an attorney for the Houston branch of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, which Carnaby headed. He said he attended an annual symposium for the AFIO at the CIA headquarters at Langley with Carnaby, who seemed well-known there, albeit under the pseudonym of "Tony."
"I recall people coming out recognizing him, 'Hey Tony, how are you?' This is what I saw. Did I know those people personally? No. Was I introduced by Tony? Yes."
One of Carnaby's most obvious signs of legitimacy came through the AFIO. Carnaby had led the revival of a dormant Houston chapter, which periodically hosted banquets that featured speakers well known in the intelligence community and were well attended by local law enforcement officials.
The executive director of the AFIO, Elizabeth Bancroft, said she met Carnaby several years ago at the group's functions held near McLean, Va.
The organization, which is open to U.S. citizens, holds an annual symposium and monthly luncheons.
Bancroft said Carnaby never mentioned being a former CIA employee, and the stories about his connection to the agency shocked her. "Is this genuine or is this a very overactive fantasy life?" she said.
Carnaby was a very eager, enthusiastic AFIO member, Bancroft said. When she told him that the group's Houston chapter had been inactive for years, he volunteered to get it going again.
She said he was an excellent organizer and boosted chapter membership to about 200 members. He also had extensive contacts with law enforcement, which helped him book speakers for the chapter's meetings.
HPD defends officers
Carnaby asked the national headquarters if he could name the Houston chapter after CIA agent William Francis Buckley, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in Lebanon in 1985.
"He talked about Buckley, how much he admired him and the bravery it must have taken to endure that type of torture that ends your life," she said.
For a person who was so supportive of law enforcement, Carnaby's final agony angers lawyer Brooten, who criticized the officers present for handcuffing him instead of administering medical care.
"All of this other stuff (about Carnaby's mysterious life) is all very interesting, but it is of no consequence when you consider a man is dead and he died handcuffed and nobody tried to stop the bleeding or anything," Brooten said. "You know what you call that? You call that an assassination."
Jett defended the officers at the scene, saying they are not trained to assist people with serious gunshot wounds.
"We would handcuff people and try to get them comfortable, but we're not paramedics, and most officers don't know about giving first aid like that other than CPR, and you don't want to give CPR to a gunshot victim," he said.
Investigators later found three weapons in Carnaby's car, police said. One pistol was under the passenger-side floormat. A second was between the seats. On the back seat floorboard lay a pistol-grip shotgun with a round in the chamber and the safety off.
Brooten said he has no idea why his friend and client ran from police, but he has a difficult time believing HPD's account.
"Maybe he thought he was being set up. That's speculation only," he said. "The answer is no, I don't know. But there are multiple reasons why an experienced professional would feel threatened. And given the actions after the shooting, maybe his instinct was correct."
CIA repeats its denial
The CIA on Thursday reiterated its denial that Carnaby had any connection with the intelligence agency.
"This individual was not a CIA officer, and I have seen no indication whatsoever that he had a contract with the CIA," said agency spokesman George Little.
True or not — his friends claim disavowing any affiliation is standard procedure in clandestine intelligence work — Carnaby had certainly been successful at constructing the appearance of a longtime intelligence officer and a well-connected guy.
His Pearland home contains several photos of him taken with local dignitaries, including former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt. Both insist they do not know him.
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