9.Thomas Haney — Direct
59 lines(In open court)
THOMAS HANEY, called as a witness by the Defendant, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MS. LEWIS:
MS. LEWIS: State your name, please.
THOMAS HANEY: Thomas Haney.
MS. LEWIS: How old are you?
THOMAS HANEY: Thirty-one.
MS. LEWIS: And where do you live?
THOMAS HANEY: Cape Charles, Virginia.
MS. LEWIS: And have you always lived in Virginia?
THOMAS HANEY: No. I lived out west for the last eight years in different places and I grew up in Austin, Texas.
MS. LEWIS: And how long did you live in Austin for?
THOMAS HANEY: From when I was seven until 18. I left in 2002.
MS. LEWIS: Do you still have family and friends in Austin?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: Do you go back to visit them?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: About how often is that?
THOMAS HANEY: Once or twice a year since 2002.
MS. LEWIS: Where do you currently work?
THOMAS HANEY: I work at the West Shelton Smoke Jumping Base in the Summers and I do clam aquaculture in the winters in Virginia.
MS. LEWIS: What is your educational background?
THOMAS HANEY: I went to college at Prescott College in Arizona for environmental studies and didn't finish when I went first, but I just reenrolled to finish.
MS. LEWIS: Are you familiar with Ross Ulbricht?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: How are you familiar with him?
THOMAS HANEY: We went to high school together. We played on the soccer team together. And we just got to know each other over the years, more after high school really than when we were in high school.
MS. LEWIS: And how long have you known Ross for?
THOMAS HANEY: I guess 15 years since we were about 15 or 16 is when I first met him.
MS. LEWIS: And do you see Ross in the courtroom today?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: Can you identify him by an article of clothing he is wearing?
THOMAS HANEY: He's got a gray sweater and a blue collar sticking out of it.
MS. LEWIS: Have you kept in touch with him over the years?
THOMAS HANEY: I've seen him often over the years. We didn't really call or email, but I don't really keep in touch with many people that way and I don't know if Ross does either, but I've seen him many times over the years and spent time with him.
MS. LEWIS: In what context did you see him?
THOMAS HANEY: There were a couple of times that I was with him and his parents down in Costa Rica at their home for a fairly extended period of time both times. And in and around Austin, we'd see each other at Christmas and whenever I was in town. And yeah, he'd come over to our parents' house or we'd go out swimming, playing Frisbee, various things.
MS. LEWIS: Do you have a group of people in common that you see together when you visit him or when you visit each other?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes. Generally there are a mutual group of friends that we know.
MS. LEWIS: Where are those friends from?
THOMAS HANEY: Mostly Austin, actually entirely Austin.
MS. LEWIS: They're high school friends?
THOMAS HANEY: Yeah, high school friends. Yeah, I guess high school friends, yeah. None from college.
MS. LEWIS: In addition to that or are there other people either way over the years?
THOMAS HANEY: No. I'd say it's all high school friends that we have in common basically.
MS. LEWIS: And do you have any knowledge of Ross' reputation amongst those friends in that community?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: Do you have any knowledge about his reputation for peacefulness and nonviolence?
THOMAS HANEY: Yes.
MS. LEWIS: And what is his reputation for peacefulness and nonviolence?
THOMAS HANEY: Just that he is an extremely calm, kind, and loving person and that's something that always impresses everyone that really knows him that I've talked to him about him.
MS. LEWIS: Thank you. No further questions.
THE COURT: Mr. Turner, anything from you?
MR. TURNER: No.
THE COURT: Thank you. You may step down.
(Witness excused)
THE COURT: Ladies and gentlemen, I think it makes sense to break for the afternoon. And is there anybody else -- is tomorrow morning a better time to pick up?
MR. DRATEL: I think so.
THE COURT: We'll pick up tomorrow morning. I want to remind you not to talk to each other or anybody else about this case.
I hope to have an update for you tomorrow that will be pretty clear about where we are but you see that we are now into the defense case. I think that I'll have some further information for you tomorrow.
Joe is going to order lunch for you now and through the end of trial, so hopefully he'll vary the menus and we'll also get you folks some sort of afternoon snack if there's something in particular in terms of soda or drink that you would like -- no alcoholic beverages -- then let Joe know. We are limited in terms of what the courthouse has but we do want to make you comfortable.
Thank you for putting up with the weather this morning and getting in here. I know it may have been a bit of a challenge. And we'll see you folks tomorrow. Goodnight.