Handwriting Expert Called to Stand in Thompson Trial

The jury heard witness testimony from both sides today.

The former director of the poverty point reservoir is charged with illegally using tax dollars for his personal projects.

The jury heard from the prosecutor's witnesses who all said they saw a poverty point employee working on Thompson’s property.

This afternoon, Thompson’s attorney finally had the opportunity to call their witnesses to the stand.

A key defense witness for Mike Thompson took the stand late this afternoon, and the spotlight turned in great detail to a work log kept by handyman Joe Cleveland.

Cleveland kept a record of the work he did in two notebooks, the kinds you buy your kids for school.

The expert examined 144 entries, and the defense dissected 37 of them for the jury.

Some of those entries had the letter "m" handwritten next to them, with a circle drawn around the letter.

Did that mean Cleveland was indicating work he did on Thompson’s property?

That part wasn't clear.

But the handwriting expert questioned some of those entries, saying he thought some items may have been added later, and that some lines were even squeezed in between normal entries, even written in the margins.

All that is important, because it could call into question the accuracy of the time logs kept by Cleveland. 

The defense is clearly trying to suggest that entries were added later or faked. 

Thompson’s Trial resumes Tuesday Morning.