Posts Tagged With: Matt Johnson Jefferson County Attorney

Montana Parole Board Flex Their Muscles Denying Parole For The Incarcerated Montana Fireman, Allen Whetstone

The Incarcerated Montana Fireman

The Incarcerated Montana Fireman

Many have asked what has happened with the Incarcerated Montana Fireman, Allen Whetstone.  With so many stories happening right now with Barry Beach being returned back to prison, the 10 year old boy that was arrested and given a $500,000 bond and many other stories flooding in, we have not had the chance to bring you up to date.  Yes, he has been brought up in the newspaper.  But, only in the way that they wanted it to be presented.  So, let’s break it down correctly.

Here is a petition that was requesting his parole as per the court judgement given by Judge Loren Tucker.   Allen Whetstone complied with everything within that court order.  This petition is still active.  Petition For Allen Whetstone

Let us first give you the version of the media, and I don’t blame the media.  They were only reporting what they heard and were being told.  The parole hearing was like a court hearing without any defense present and no one was allowed any form of rebuttal.   They are the court of law now, a parole board and county attorneys placing themselves higher than the Montana Judges.  This is why they had the legislature pass a law back in 1997 that they could have the power to do this and answer to no one.   They have disrespect for the judges of Montana, they have been caught in lies, issuing threats and terrorizing citizens like any other terrorist.

According to the Independent Record:

DEER LODGE — Allen Whetstone, in prison for the sexual assault of a client under his care at the Montana Developmental Center, was denied parole during a hearing Thursday.

During what was at times an emotionally charged proceeding, Whetstone denied ever touching the woman, who was in her 20s at the time of the assault but has the mental capacity of a 6- to 9-year-old. He said he only pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault because he felt “backed into a corner” and was facing up to 100 years in prison. In exchange for his guilty plea, four counts involving two other developmentally disabled women at MDC were dropped.

“I can’t handle the pressure. I have learned to just give people what they want to hear because I feel it’s easier to do,” Whetstone said, trying to explain why he pleaded guilty and admitted to a friend and a co-worker that he sexually assaulted the client.

Whetstone twisted his clasped hands as he sat in a chair before the Montana Board of Parole and Pardons in a small conference room filled with his family members, supporters and those who wanted him to remain behind bars. He added that he was molested as a child by a hired hand at their ranch, which is why he says now he would never do that to anyone else.

“I kept it a secret. I didn’t want people to think I had done something to cause that to happen,” Whetstone said. “Being the victim of sexual molestation as a child, I know the impact of how it makes a person feel.”

Cody Danielson listened to Whetstone deny assaulting the woman with a look of disbelief on his face. Danielson is a criminal investigator for the Montana Department of Justice, and he painstakingly looked into the 2010 allegations. Earlier in the parole board hearing Danielson said they had “incontrovertible evidence” that Whetstone committed not just the one sexual assault but also at least two others, and he asked the board to keep Whetstone locked up as a public-safety measure.

Whetstone was employed at MDC on May 24, 2010, when he took the victim into an empty room and sexually assaulted her. He then gave her Skittles candy and warned her not to tell anyone. An employee saw her with the candy, and asked where she got it. The MDC client, identified in court papers as T.R., said Whetstone had given it to her in exchange for sex.

The state of Montana, which operates MDC, has paid a $350,000 settlement to the victim’s family and spent another $21,000 on an outside attorney.

“The victim’s statements about the sexual assault were clear, consistent and matched the evidence of the crime,” Danielson said. “Our investigation clearly showed that Mr. Whetstone had sexually assaulted one other victim on at least two occasions. Evidence also clearly showed Mr. Whetstone had been involved in the physical assault, attempted sexual assault and ‘grooming’ of another victim at MDC.”

He added that the DNA from semen found in the room where the assault occurred had a “one in 10 quintillion, 130 quadrillion — that is the number 1-0-1-3-0 with 15 zero’s after it” that the semen wasn’t Whetstone’s.

“ … I believe it is necessary to not forget who Mr. Whetstone sexually assaulted,” Danielson said. “As a law enforcement officer, I cannot conceive of a more vulnerable population than the mentally disabled.

“In my opinion, if you are willing to take advantage of this portion of society, you are a rare breed of predator … If rehabilitation is an option — and that’s completely up to Mr. Whetstone — he will have to take personal responsibility for the heinous crimes he has committed.”

Along with Danielson, Jefferson County Attorney Matt Johnson, and Sheriff Craig Doolittle urged the board to keep Whetstone locked up for the publics’ safety.

Allen WhetstonePhoto Purchased – Allen Whetstone

Let me interrupt here and explain some things and then we will continue with the rest of the article.  (Little side note, everyone has commented on the smirk on the ladies face in the background of this photo.  Yes, she works for the parole board.  This is how they behave in hearings and in hearings in front of the legislators.)

Cody Danielson listened to Whetstone deny assaulting the woman with a look of disbelief on his face. Danielson is a criminal investigator for the Montana Department of Justice, and he painstakingly looked into the 2010 allegations. Earlier in the parole board hearing Danielson said they had “incontrovertible evidence” that Whetstone committed not just the one sexual assault but also at least two others, and he asked the board to keep Whetstone locked up as a public-safety measure.”

The tons of documentation that we have shows that Cody Danielson did not “painstakingly” look into the 2010 allegations. It was all over the media how his department botched up the investigation and documentation was sued for by Disability Rights.  He outright lied stating they had “incontrovertible evidence” concerning any of these allegations.  They botched up the investigation, they tampered with evidence, the room was contaminated before they even arrived there…and according to the medical doctor’s statement, the rape they charged him with did not happen, the 29 year old woman was still a virgin.

Danielson went on the statements of two of her best friends who were also alleged victims in the trumped up charges. One is in there for murdering her sister and she had also went after Allen Whetstones girlfriend, who worked there at the time, by trying to stab her in the neck.  The other alleged victim had an obsession with the other Allen that had charges pressed against him also, that had worked there at the same time.  This other “so called victim” had such an obsession that she went to the bathroom in her pants and rubbed it all on the MDC staffers truck.  She was known to jump on male staff that worked there.  Danielson and the investigation stated that the “girls were parroting each other.”  The ladies did not even know which Allen they were talking about as there were three Allens.  This sounds like a joke or a bad comedy movie, but this is the truth of what happened.  This is your Montana Department of Justice at work.

It was stated from the very beginning that he did not give her any candy. This is another way they have twisted the story to suit their needs.  She had the candy and he did not make her turn it in, TR did not say that Whetstone gave it to her in exchange for sex.  He allowed her to keep what she already had before she saw him.  Staff gives them things all the time, it has been in the newspapers before on other staff members, including female staff.  Now the staff are stricter and parents are upset that their loved ones are not allowed anything like a soda or some candy.  So, it’s pretty much damned if you do and damned if you don’t.   If Danielson really did his job he would have found all this out, besides the fact that the other alleged victims were having sex with others and asking everyone for something.  The clients that live there have sex with one another, one of them being named Allen.

The Montana public defender Kristina Neal stated many times that they did not have one shred of evidence, they only had a confession that another staff worker coerced from Allen, this co-worker stating that they had evidence and a bunch of other nonsense.  Noting that this guy would not even allow his fingerprints to be taken and has bragged of physically abusing clients.  This was told to the public defender and nothing ever happened with that information although there were witnesses that heard the bragging.   So, either Cody Danielson and Matt Johnson are lying or Kristina Neal is lying.   But the evidence stacks against Cody Danielson and Matt Johnson.

Let’s read some more of the article.

Johnson said while they initially charged Whetstone in the other alleged assaults, his office agreed to a plea bargain because testifying would be difficult on the developmentally disabled women. He added that one of the charges involved exposing one of the women to a sexually transmitted disease.

Johnson also noted that they sought a 10-year prison term, but the sentence handed down in October 2011 was five years in prison and five suspended, meaning Whetstone has only served one year and four months. He’s completed one sex offender program, but Johnson said he believes Whetstone needs more help.

“He deserves that punishment and the victim demands that punishment,” Johnson said. “What we have to risk is that he may violate other victims and that needs to be considered by the board as a reason why to not let him out. There are other victims; they just have a difficult time speaking for themselves.”

Doolittle said the high-profile case has negatively impacted not just the victim, but also citizens of Boulder. He noted that a bill was introduced in the legislature calling for the closure of MDC, in part because of Whetstone’s actions, and said the former volunteer firefighter and search and rescue team member violated the trust of the community.

“I believe that the community is going to remember this and MDC and the woman he violated would remember this for a long time into the future, and that warrants him spending more time at Montana State Prison,” Doolittle said.

Let me interrupt again at this point.

They did not realize that Allen Whetstone had such a lengthy credible background back in 2010.  They thought they had a regular patsy that they could use and sweep all the other investigations concerning other staff members and victims under the rug.  They had to have a patsy quick, so they could get their millions of dollars of medicaid from federal funding. They have lost this funding almost six times. They had to show that they had their guy.  That next statement from Sheriff Dolittle is ludicrous.  Nothing was said from any of these departments before on Allen’s history until we brought it up.  Now they are trying to use it for their own gain, what a bunch of jokers

Let’s not forget, a dedicated Firefighter, served in the Navy, a member of the VA.  A member of Search and Rescue, CERT certified, Safety Trainer, certified Life Guard.  Passed both exams for Montana State Troopers.  Maintains a CDL LicenseForklift Operators Permit. AFSCME Council 9 Local 917 Vice President 1 year, AFSCME Council 9 Local 971 Trustee 2 years.   Blue ribbon winner in both Handcrafted Furniture and Dancing Competitions. Involved in Rodeos, Singing, and a great father. Worked in the field for 20 years of Caregiving. Excellent work record and history, others have always spoke highly of him.

Sheriff Doolittle, Matt Johnson, if you did your homework, you would have known that Allen Whetstone and his wife were a part in helping with that bill for the closure of MDC.  His wife giving some of the investigation documents to Disability Rights, even testifying before the legislative committee herself to close it down.  Both Allen and his wife offering their services of their testimonies and access to ALL of the internal investigative documents.  You both know that this facility has had problems for well over two or more decades.  You know that you swept things under the rug…You KNOW it!  Allen Whetstone violated the trust of the community?  How about the system violating the trust of the Whetstones, their families, the community and the state of Montana?

Let’s get honest here, it is about a lot of jobs that ride on this institution and that’s okay.  What is not okay is to make a man like this your patsy and for you to continue to lie to justify what you did for the millions of dollars.   And if what Matt Johnson is stating is true, that these women had a hard time talking for themselves so that is why they did not want to go to trial.  Well, how in the hell did they get that “the alleged victim was consistent in her statements that matched the evidence of the crime.”  When the hospital doctor stated that there was no crime.  Did the staff at MDC or did DOJ coach the woman into saying what they wanted?  Because they are not making sense by their own admission!  They said the other two kept parroting each other.  Kristina Neal stated at the time that Matt Johnson did not want to go to court and it look like a circus.  Because he had no evidence…none!   He would have looked like an idiot, but because the system is the way that it is Allen was told he would not get a fair trial.

It was prosecutorial misconduct pure and simple and still is.  He used misconduct on calling Andy Larsen, and Chris Quiqley to change their recommendations on the PSI at the last minute.   We still want to know where they got this DNA because our records show that the “alleged victim” was not even in the room, there was no DNA of Allen Whetstone on her if he had even touched her sexually.  Not even a skin cell.  And if he had exposed himself there was not a hair to be found anywhere.   Yet, they found someone else’s DNA….we would like to know whose that is.   Besides that, this was not the plea bargain that was agreed to in court.  We have the court transcripts that shows what the plea bargain was and Matt Johnson has lied about that.  Just as they lied to Mr.Whetstone and his family about having to register as a sex offender, this is not even mandated by the law.  Again, they think they are above the law and above the judges.   I don’t know why Montana has any legislators or judges as the Montana Department of Justice and the Montana Parole Board does not think that either group have the brains to use what God has gifted them with.

Let’s continue and finish the article.

Yet Whetstone’s wife, who sat next to Jefferson County resident Sen. Terry Murphy during the hearing, continued to protest her husband’s innocence. She called his conviction and imprisonment a “miscarriage of justice” and said he has been a “model prisoner” who has a job and home waiting for him in her home state of Florida.

“Claims are in the process of being filed against both the prosecuting attorney and the public defender at this time for prosecutorial misconduct and for not telling the truth,” she wrote in a petition she gave to the parole board. “Allen Whetstone would serve the community better by being a productive tax paying citizen rather than to be a burden on the taxpayers.”

Parole board member John Ward recused himself from the proceedings based on a previous conversation with Jordan that he said was misinterpreted. The two remaining board members, Mike McKee and Sam Lemaich, told Whetstone that while he has taken one of three sex offender treatment programs offered at the prison, at a minimum he needs to participate in a second program to lessen the chance of recidivism.

McKee noted that the second-level sexual offender program takes four to 24 months, depending on the motivation and desire of the inmate, and he recommended Whetstone return before the board after completing it. Lemaich concurred, based upon the severity of the offense and Whetstone’s statements that he wasn’t guilty.

“This was an egregious crime and there are concerns to me at this point over your lack of culpability,” Lemaich said.

Florida is not only his wife’s home state but is Allen Whetstone’s home state also.  Parole Officer Andy Larsen and Public Defender Kristina Neal told Allen to get his permanent residency in Florida while he was there for almost half a year on bond.   If Allen Whetstone was such a monster, predator, groomer as they portrayed him to be, why in the world did they think he was safe enough to travel 2500 miles across country and live there for half a year.  If Allen was as bad as they portrayed, he could have ran, but he did not because it would be wrong and because he naively trusted the system. They knew he was the honorable type man to keep his word and would not break the law.  They never once got a confession from him, not verbally or written.  They got a second hand so called confession from a co-worker that had beaten others himself and bragged about it.  Did the system bargain with this co-worker to get Allen to admit under duress so he would not be charged with something?

Parole board member John Ward did threaten Allen Whetstone’s wife.  There was no misunderstanding.  There were others around that heard, she went back into the Law and Justice room crying, it would be on their video records and she told one of the staff, that works at the Capitol, who then proceeded to go out and confront John Ward.  He admitted that he did wrong.  The threat?  John Ward angrily stated that “if she did not quit testifying before the Law and Justice about the Montana Parole Board and the Montana Department of Corrections that she was only making it harder for her husband when he came before them for his hearing.”  After telling her to “shut up” several times.  He was so angry that he had to stand on the other side of the hall after Fern Osler, the Executive Director of the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, had put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention to calm down.  Besides people standing around, if there are cameras in the Capitol, it would show this on surveillance.

Yes, they indeed made it hard on Allen Whetstone and his wife at the hearing.  Asking his wife many questions about her own life that have nothing to do with the hearing.  Questioning her about her advocacy work and the parole board.   Matt  Johnson stated that after the initial sentencing hearing that she was ranting afterwards.  Excuse me?  The whole family was upset and crying.  What kind of  person expects families and spouses not to be upset when they see an injustice done and know that’s the last time they are going to see their loved one in the free world for a very long time.   When even the staff at MDC apologize for what just happened in the courtroom.  Only a monster that preys on people to gain a political status or recognition would say what Matt Johnson stated at that parole hearing.  He should be held accountable for his misconduct.  John Ward committed “official misconduct”, that is a felony.  But what is the state of Montana doing about it?   These departments protect each other.  It is sickening.

Montana, stand up and be a voice.  Quit letting these officials keep getting away with these injustices.  You know deep down what we are saying is true, only those in the good ole boy club are protected and those that have money to buy their way out. Yes, there are inmates that need to be in prison and those that need to never be released. But you also have fellow Montanans that need your help!   They put Barry Beach back in prison without letting him have a trial.  They followed through on their threat to Allen Whetstone who was up for parole, who had completed what Judge Tucker ordered and was only wanting to be able to help work on his case.   A parole hearing that is worse than a court hearing.  They are the judge and the jury and you are not allowed to defend yourself at all.  They are now retaliating against Allen Whetstone and putting his life in jeopardy.

McKee noted that the second-level sexual offender program takes four to 24 months, depending on the motivation and desire of the inmate, and he recommended Whetstone return before the board after completing it. Lemaich concurred, based upon the severity of the offense and Whetstone’s statements that he wasn’t guilty.

“This was an egregious crime and there are concerns to me at this point over your lack of culpability,” Lemaich said.

Everyone has told Allen Whetstone not to admit to anything that he is not guilty of.  We were very proud of him, not letting them break him, because they tried every which way they could to break him. The whole hearing was a joke and you could tell it was staged from the beginning.  Everyone that was there on behalf of Whetstone said they could tell it.   Mr. Lemaich, it concerns us of the egregious crimes that are being committed within state departments and the lack of culpability from anyone that works within them.  This seems to be normal business and that is very scary and unacceptable.

Other Related Stories

The Incarcerated MT Fireman-Allen Whetstone

Allen Whetstone – Another Injustice

Allen Whetstone-Montana State Prison Setup

Allen Whetstone The Incarcerated Montana Fireman Threatened

Allen Whetstone More To The Story To Question

Allen Whetstone-MDOC And MBOPP

Montana Fireman Blogspot

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Prosecutors, Judges And Misconduct

Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed?

Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed?

Can prosecutors be sued by the people they frame? 

Do prosecutors have total immunity from lawsuits for anything they do, including framing someone for murder? That is the question the justices of the Supreme Court face Wednesday.

On one side of the case being argued are Iowa prosecutors who contend “there is no freestanding right not to be framed.” They are backed by the Obama administration, 28 states and every major prosecutors organization in the country.

On the other side are two black men — Terry Harrington and Curtis McGhee — men who served 25 years in prison before evidence long hidden in police files resulted in them being freed.

Listen to the story and continue reading at Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed  at the NPR website.

Prosecutorial Misconduct

Now we go from prosecutors to judges.

Selling America's Children

Selling America’s Children

A couple of rouge judges in Wilkes-Barre, in the Northeast part of the state, destroyed the lives of thousands of young people because the judges were on the take.

These “people” (in quotes because I really don’t know what they are) abused their power as judges.  I will not value them as people by using their names.

The PA Supreme Court vacated case after case because these guys set up a scam where the juvenile court system became the feeder system to a bunch of for-profit detention centers.

These judges rushed kids through the juvenile justice system for truly minor offenses, rewarding them with 3 months at these prison camps.  Many times the kids had no legal representation and were immediately whisked away to do their time.

Now that these clowns are caught, they are trying to weasel their way through the system.  It appears the legal system can’t truly handle their own.  Evidently a deal was cut to allow these guys on the street after doing about 7 years.

Judges Found Guilty

Judges Found Guilty

Continue reading at Huff Post Politics

If you do not think these sort of things happen, you are living in a very isolated world.  If you think this does not happen in Montana, you need to start reading. There is documentation and evidence all over Montana with this sort of stuff and it is time for it to come out and get the state on the right track again.

Categories: Wake Up America | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Innocence Network Secures 22 Exonerations in 2012

Innocence Network Secures 22 Exonerations in 2012

Posted: December 17, 2012 4:25 pm

A report released today by the Innocence Network reveals that 22 people across the country, including an American living in Nicaragua, were exonerated by Innocence Network member organizations for crimes they didn’t commit in the past year. Several of them served over a quarter century in prison before being exonerated. Misidentification continues to be the leading cause of the wrongful convictions overturned, but this year also saw false confessions, faulty forensics and police and prosecutorial misconduct as contributing factors.

The 22 people profiled in this year’s report served more than 279 combined years, including 20 years one man spent confined to a mental hospital, before they were finally freed. Each case represents countless hours and sometimes years of ardent advocacy by attorneys, paralegals, investigators and students that comprise the Innocence Network.

Download the full report.

Read more in the press release.

Read exoneration reports from previous years on the Innocence Network website.

How can someone confess to a crime he did not commit?

It may sound unbelievable but it happened to Michael Saunders, who was only 15 years old when he was arrested, falsely confessed, and was ultimately wrongfully convicted. Thanks to DNA testing, he was exonerated earlier this year at age 32.  Michael’s case is just one example. False confessions and incriminating statements led to wrongful convictions of approximately 27% of the more than 300 innocent people exonerated by DNA.

When the reporter asked Michael what it was like the day he found out he would be free, he said, 

“For me, that was the best day of my life. I waited 17 years to prove my innocence”.

Unbelievable that they found DNA from another perpetrator….inside the victim….but the DA still wants to blame the innocent one.  This is horrifying that prosecuting attorneys can believe this way.   We have to start taking this seriously.

Categories: The Innocent | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

3 Stabbings Go Down At Montana State Prison Last Night On 10/7/2012 Leaving 1 Dead

Last night at Montana State Prison two inmates got into an altercation in the bathroom on the low side. One inmate stabbed the other with a pen. Friends of the inmate who was stabbed rushed in to break it up leading to another inmate being stabbed.  Both inmates that were injured are in the infirmary.

On the high side an inmate slit another inmates throat leaving this inmate dead.  Apparently the rumor that is flying around is that the inmate was killed because he was a sex offender.    Did one incident have anything to do with the other?  That remains unknown for now.

Montana‘s prisons are rife with suicides, deaths, threats from officers, etc.  The corruption level is over the top.  Officers pushing inmates too the level of suicide and even instigating murder.   Remember how Montana State Prison segmented a major portion, well over 30% of the prison by not allowing them visits.  Even on the low side calling the inmates to the cage one by one telling them the new rules.   Inmates all over the compound started knowing what was happening.  At the same time Montana Department of Corrections has a large portion of so called sex offenders because they are changing the definition in Montana of a cowboy into  a sex offender. Even labeling the Incarcerated Montana Fireman a “sex offender” when the law did not even mandate it. We were told that even the Florida Department of Corrections did a double question on that one.  That Montana would go so far to label someone when the law does not even call for it.

Montana  check your statistics.    Educate yourself on how much money funnels through MDOJ/DPHHS/MDOC and whoever else is involved.  Connect the dots.  Be a Montana citizen who becomes aware.

Update:  This was stated by Montana’s State Prison Public Information Officer, Linda Moodry

The unit where Hartford was killed is monitored by prison staff and security cameras. However, Moodry said they don’t have cameras in all the cells at the prison.

“They (the prisoners) are monitored and watched, but, unfortunately things like this can happen,” Moodry said.

http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-state-prison-inmate-found-murdered/article_610bdd82-1175-11e2-8ea6-001a4bcf887a.html

I suppose that all of these suicides, deaths, and threats are all treated the same way.  ” ….unfortunately things like this can happen.”   What a shame, they never release all the information because there is too much too hide. Why weren’t the officers doing their jobs?  How many officers knew this was going to go down?  The cellmate of the inmate that was murdered has been made to stay in the cell where the murder had taken place.  What happened to proper protocol in this state?  How can a true investigation take place?  Again, things smell really, really rotten!

Categories: MDOC/Abuse, MT DPHHS/DOJ | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oprah Winfrey Shares Labeled For Life – Sex Offender – Falsely Accused?

Labeled for Life: Missing Memories – Our America with Lisa LingOprah Winfrey Network

Travis spent 16 years in prison for a sexual crime that he denies ever having committed. Now, Lisa Ling visits Jamie who was present the night of the incident to try and shed some light on what really went on that night.

Comments From This TV Show: 

  1. This show made me cry. I don’t know what happened but I have a strong feeling this young boy did not commit this crime. This should be reviewed. Something MUST be done. How can a 16 year old go before the courts and pled guilty w/o a trial. I think that, because of his age a trial should have taken place. There were more people stating he didn’t do it than there were people claiming he did! Look at what his mother has been through no parent deserves to go through this. Shame on Austins courts.
  2. This is sadly more common that we know.The rush to throw “someone” in jail, shoddy, lazy police work and of course often just lies.
  3. A lot of people don’t know a lot of things about sex offenders. There is kids on the list, bums, and many more crazy reasons. All a female gotta do is say he touched me and a female can say so and so touched me 20 yrs ago and the guy can be put in jail. Everyone think as soon as they hear sex offender they think some guy hurt a young child, but not all on the list is on it for this reason. And once your charged with it then your labeled for life. Can’t judge a book by what it’s named.
  4. My mom told me this story even before it got to the Oprah show. Travis has a history of Terret’s (sp?) syndrome, and erratic behavior. My mom is a good friend of Travis’ grandmother, and although some of the details are sketchy, it appears as if Travis got tossed into prison for “accidentally” touching the outer part of a young girl’s shirt. He wasn’t molesting her, as they made it seem to be. These people who got interviewed here are obviously covering up a terrible injustice.
  5. Travis was 17 at the time of the offense. In Texas, for criminal purposes, a person is considered an adult at 17. The transcript of the police “interview” shows Travis’ mom was present at the time of the “interview” but was instructed to stay out of it by the officer doing the questioning. The court appointed lawyer told her the same thing. Pretty horrifying when you think of it. At 17 you can’t vote, buy cigarettes, spray paint, join the military sign, a business contract, etc.
  6. The people interviewed were teenagers who were present at the time of the alleged incident or parents.. The police officer that questioned Travis told Travis they had already talked to all of the parents and the kids that were present that day. The police told Travis they already knew what he did because they had talked to them. However, none of them were contacted by the police and didn’t know what had happened to Travis. They were shocked to learn the fate of Travis.
  7. It is a case of gross injustice. It has been horrible for Diane and her entire family. Travis was accused, lied to, coaxed into confessing, arrested, held in county jail until his court appointed lawyer talked him into a plea by telling Travis if he would take a plea he would get probation and could get out of jail.
  8. I wish there had been more time for Lisa Ling to include all the details on Travis case from the time he was accused to the time he was revoked and sentenced to 20 years. UNREAL
  9. You forgot to mention EXTORTION. Diane was forced to pay thousands of dollars to inmates who threatened to kill Travis if she didn’t pay. She was afraid NOT to pay them.

Diane’s Letters – Our America with Lisa Ling – Oprah Winfrey Network

A Normal Person Again – Our America with Lisa Ling – Oprah Winfrey Network OWN Subscribe

Martin shares how his family has coped with his name on the Sex Offender Registry and what their hopes are now that he’s been removed.

To Watch The Full Shows Go To Oprah Winfrey Network

More and more people are becoming aware that there is a major problem in our prison industry.  There are too many that are indeed innocent.  There are too many being falsely accused.  There are those that are being labeled that should not be labeled and should not be in prison.  Montana wake up – we have it running rampant here in our state. That is the common line that prosecuting attorneys use – He/She pled guilty.  Although only 5% go to trial.  Attorneys have found a neat little way to tie something up.  Threaten not to have a fair trial and then use the plea bargain and it does not matter to them if the person is innocent or guilty.  They don’t have to prove anything as far as someone’s guilt. Sure there are criminals, but this is also a nice way to just slide innocents through too. Makes money and it’s another notch on their belt. 

Categories: Television, The Innocent | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prosecutors That Abuse Their Authority And Convict Innocent People

The Heritage Foundation lists “overcriminalization” as one issue it studies. Ed Meese, former attorney general for Ronald Reagan, works on this issue. In the December 14, 2011 article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled ‘Criminal Code is Overgrown, Legal Experts Tell Panel”, Meese is quoted as saying in addition to the 4500 criminal statutes, there are “over 300,000 other regulations that don’t appear in the federal code but nevertheless carry essentially criminal penalties including prison”.

There are too many laws and too many opportunities for prosecutors to abuse their authority. The combination of 300,000 regulations, 4500 laws give prosecutors too many ways to convict.

Adding to this problem is the power of the prosecutors. They and they alone determine what a crime is and who to prosecute. Crimes are, in some cases, determined by “criminal intent”. The standard for determining “criminal intent” is left up to prosecutors. Our legal system is supposed to punish only those who intentionally break the law. The line between “criminal intent” and “unintentionally committing a crime” has been has become blurred as prosecutors decide the issue of “intent”.

The problem of determining “criminal intent” is not new for the justice system. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson discussed the role of intent in 1951. He said, “The ancient requirement of a culpable state of mind” means conviction only occurs when there is “an evil-meaning mind with an evil-doing hand”.

In Harvey Silverglate’s book, “Three Felonies a Day”, he discusses Justice Jackson in his introduction. According to Silverglate, Jackson was concerned about the issue of “criminal intent” when he served as attorney general to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940.Justice Jackson was also concerned about excessive prosecutorial zeal.

Justice Jackson stated, “if a prosecutor is obliged to choose his cases, it follows that he can choose his defendants” and “the most dangerous power of the prosecutor: that he will pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than pick cases that need to be prosecuted (Silverglate)”.

More and more people are being prosecuted for “what a prosecutor thinks and tells juries is in the mind of the accused”. Changing the very definition of “criminal intent” and stretching its definition has allowed an increased number of incarcerations.

Little can be done without an extraordinary effort by the American public.

We are facing huge obstacles;

- The number of laws is too large; 4500 laws and at least 300,000 regulations

- Prosecutors determine who is guilty of “criminal intent” according to their own standards

- Prosecutors are picking defendants and are accountable to no one

- Congress does not have the issue of “the overcriminalization of America” on either a front or a back burner

- There is no PUBLIC OUTCRY TO REPEAL CRIMINAL LAWS

Until there is a broad coalition from the right and the left, from individuals across this nation, no change will be made. Prosecutors will use their unlimited powers to continue to convict many innocent people. Everyone working on these issues must come together to create a public outcry for the immediate reductions of laws and limiting the powers of the prosecutor.

Source: http://exoffendernation.com/A.aspx?t=Heritage-Foundation-Ed-Meese-Leading-the-Charge-Against-Overcriminilzation

Montana County Attorneys' Association

  • It is time for Americans to hold them accountable and stand together for change in our system.  This is a crime that the prosecutors have this kind of power and do not have to answer or be held liable for their own wrong doings.  Montana this has ran rampant here in Montana. Just look through this website of hundreds upon hundreds of newspaper articles and links to back up what is being said.   Let your voice be heard!  It is only going to get worse if you don’t make the stand now! 
Categories: MT Speaks Up | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Information Is The Montana County Attorneys Trying To Hide?

Seal of Gallatin County, Montana

Seal of Gallatin County, Montana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WHITNEY BERMES, Chronicle Staff Writer |Posted: Saturday, July 21, 2012 12:15 am

“The family of a woman who died while she was an inmate at the Gallatin County jail wants details surrounding the woman’s death released to the public.

Family members of Kathryn Leibrock-Josephs filed a brief in Gallatin County District Court earlier this month accusing County Attorney Marty Lambert and then-Sheriff Jim Cashell of hiding information from the public for “their own personal reasons.”

“It must be something personal on their side,” said attorney Jim Kommers. “What that is, I don’t know.”

Earlier this year, Josephs settled a federal civil lawsuit for $2 million, in which he claimed that jailers failed to provide Leibrock-Josephs adequate medical care, which led to her death.

Once the lawsuit was settled, Kommers said the family thought the confidential criminal evidence would be available to the public. But Lambert objected, Kommers said.

The family now wants a protective order placed on evidence from the federal case to be lifted so it can be made public.

“The public has a right to know and they’re not being told,” Kommers said.”

Excerpt Only, To Continue Reading: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/crime/article_216bdd24-d2e8-11e1-9aef-001a4bcf887a.html

Related Stories

  • So, what is it that Attorney Marty Lambert wants to hide?  Is this like the situation where Attorney Matt Johnson did not want the investigative reports made public that Montana Disability Rights sued for? Reports that show the terrible, unprofessional way the whole investigation proceeded at MDC? Maybe someone should ask for the investigative records to the Montana State Prison be made public also, where five female officers admitted to having sex with an inmate.   Is DOJ and MDOC concerned about the truth being shown on how things are really operating in this state?  If you look at the the high incarceration rates, the highest category of campaign donors- attorney and lobbyists, the jail and prison suicides, the cherry picking of inmates and those they choose to protect…….well it doesn’t look good.  Anyone by this point in time can see the scam that has been running right underneath our very noses. 
Categories: MDOC/Abuse, MT Speaks Up | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Too Many Innocent To Ignore

New Evidence of Innocence in Case of Joseph Buffey

Joseph Buffey

The Innocence Project recently filed a petition presenting new DNA evidence that proves the innocence of Joseph Buffey, of Clarksburg, West Virginia. Buffey pled guilty of the rape and robbery of an elderly woman in 2001 after having falsely confessed to the crime. Recent DNA testing on crime scene evidence definitively excludes Buffey, yet local officials have ignored the results and have refused to enter the DNA profile into a national database to see if it can identify the true perpetrator.

One week after the rape and robbery, Buffey and two other men were arrested in connection to a string of robberies. After being questioned for nearly eight hours, Buffey confessed to the rape, then recanted minutes later. According to the petition, the lead detective presented at least four pieces of false information to the grand jury.

The Innocence Project has requested a hearing to consider the petition and seeks to vacate Buffey’s conviction. Watch a video that explains how false confessions happen, then read how the mandatory recording of confessions can reduce the risk of false confessions.

Exonerated Prisoners Testify on Solitary Confinement

Anthony Graves

Death row exoneree Anthony Graves testified last week at the first-ever congressional hearing on solitary confinement. Graves spent 12 years in solitary confinement during the 18 years he was incarcerated in Texas prisons for a murder he didn’t commit. He testified to the horrors of his experience of extreme isolation: “Solitary confinement makes our criminal justice system criminal… It dehumanizes us all.”

The Innocence Project also submitted testimony from six of the many exonerated people who spent time in solitary confinement. Julie Rea, of Illinois, described being tormented by guards playing an audio cassette of a woman being tortured; Nick Yarris, of Pennsylvania’s death row, tells of his own suicide attempt during his 23 years in solitary confinement; and Clarence Elkins described feeling numb while being released because he had endured three months of solitary confinement just before his exoneration.

“When you’re confined with no ability to read, to exercise, to receive basic medical attention or to develop your mind, it’s just inhumane. I saw some people snap. They just lost their sanity,” said Herman Atkins in the written testimony. “As a nation, we must do better. When a government has the authority to treat people so poorly, it’s impossible to hold citizens to a higher standard.” Atkins was wrongfully imprisoned for over 11 years in California before being exonerated by DNA evidence.

Read the complete testimony.

Judges Order Lake County to Address Starks’ Conviction

Benny Starks and his legal team

One month after prosecutors in Lake County, Illinois, dismissed rape charges against Bennie Starks, appeals judges ordered prosecutors to address his request to dismiss a battery charge related to the same incident. Starks’ legal team expects that his battery conviction will be vacated and the charges dismissed when the case returns to the trial court.

Starks served 20 years and was freed on bond in 2006 when DNA evidence pointed toward his innocence. The Innocence Project has represented Starks since 1996, making his case one of the IP’s oldest active cases.

Read more.

Why We Give: A Donor Profile

Sherry & Leo Frumkin
Director, Santa Monica Art Studios and CEO, Natpro, Inc.
Santa Monica, CA

Sherry: I met Leo because we were both involved in struggles for justice and that commitment has been at the core of our relationship from the beginning. We are supporting an effort to end the death penalty in California right now. The idea that the state would take a life has always been anathema. I am grateful for the work the Innocence Project has done, not only to free the innocent but also to expose procedures that lead to wrongful conviction. The climate has changed significantly in the last 10 years, thanks largely to the IP’s work. People are beginning to see how prevalent wrongful convictions are.

Leo: When people say they’re not opposed to the death penalty, I raise the Innocence Project and how they’ve gotten people off death row. It opens their minds a little bit more. If they ask me how they can help the Innocence Project, I tell them to make contributions. It not only supports the organization, it broadens the work.

Categories: The Innocent | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The System Would Collapse If All Cases Went To Trial, So You Get The Plea Bargain

New Study: Significant Risk of Wrongful Conviction in Plea Bargaining

http://wrongfulconvictionsblog.org/author/nancybpetro/

The nation has been enthralled by the story of Brian Banks. A former blue-chip high school football athlete, Banks served five years in prison after a rape conviction, wore an ankle location bracelet, and was labeled a sex offender for five more years, before his victim admitted the rape never happened. When NFL teams lined up to give him a second chance, the nation reveled in the comeback story but also faced troublesome questions. Why would an innocent person take a plea deal that would send him to prison and  label him a sexual offender? How often does this happen? A new study suggests many are vulnerable to taking a deal even when innocent.

Lucien E. Dervan and Vanessa Edkins report here that over half of the participants in a research study were willing to falsely admit guilt in exchange for perceived benefits. For example, a college student was accused of cheating and presented with benefits in exchange for saving her university the trouble of pursuing disciplinary action against her. She decided to take the deal. Unknown to the student was the fact that she was part of a study to replicate the hard choices suspects face in criminal justice. The study authors, of course, knew that she was innocent of the charge.

Brian Banks pleaded nolo contendere or no contest. As Mark Godsey explained here, this plea enables the defendant to neither admit nor dispute the charges against him. We all now know that Banks was innocent, but, on the advice of counsel, decided not to risk a conviction and a draconian sentence.

The authors of this study cite the U.S. Supreme Court in opinions that acknowledge the potential risk of innocent persons agreeing to plea bargains and the importance of using plea bargaining only in cases in which evidence of guilt is very strong.

In Banks’s case, and in countless others, the testimony of the victim is considered strong evidence in a he-said, she-said crime. Eyewitness identification in stranger-to-stranger cases has often been considered virtually irrefutable evidence. But we’ve learned that a victim can lie, and that eyewitness identifications have been historically wrong 25 percent of the time in thousands of cases in which rape kit DNA has been compared with the DNA of the prime suspect, identified by the victim. These lessons cast doubt on the evidence that has often prompted a suspect to take a plea deal.

The U.S. Supreme Court in Brady v. Maryland acknowledged plea bargaining as a method of adjudicating justice, but it also recognized the potential need to reexamine this practice “if the encouragement of guilty pleas by offers of leniency substantially increased the likelihood that defendants, advised by competent counsel, would falsely condemn themselves.”

Most in the criminal justice system acknowledge that plea bargaining serves a purpose and often results in a fair resolution, saving the time and expense of going to trial presumably in cases in which evidence of guilty is strong or overwhelming. The system would collapse if all cases went to trial. But the case of Brian Banks, the lessons of DNA, and the results of research such as that noted here, suggest that new caution must be given to plea bargaining. We can never permit our need for expediency to trump the pursuit of true justice.

 http://www.falsejustice.com/  FALSE JUSTICE will change the way you view American criminal justice. That’s the point. The book shares former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro‘s awakening to the frightening scope of wrongful criminal conviction. The authors delve inside true cases of conviction error; debunk common destructive myths; and share proven reforms that can improve conviction accuracy. We can do better, and public safety demands it.
  1. http://montanacorruption.org/montana-fireman/
  2. http://montanacorruption.org/montana-fireman/2172-2/
  3. http://montanacorruption.org/montana-fireman/2172-2/allen-whetstone-incarcerated-fireman-montana-state-prison-set-up-part-3/
  4. http://montanacorruption.org/2012/06/09/allen-whetstone-the-incarcerated-mt-fireman-threatened/
  5. http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_05e7fca6-9d23-11df-a55a-001cc4c03286.html - Public Defender System Broke In Montana
  6. http://publicdefender.mt.gov/forms/pdf/ACLUmontanaopdreport.pdf - ACLU Report On Montana Public Defenders
  7. http://www.goskagit.com/news/article_f3baba62-c447-11e0-a1cd-001cc4c03286.html - ACLU Joins In Lawsuit Concerning Public Defenders
  8. http://www.nlada.org/DMS/Documents/1084564614.63/News.asp%3Fno%3D4044

Quote from a Montana Public Defender:

Several employees talked about their “crushing caseloads.” Several said they have or had so many clients, they feel they are constantly on the verge of committing legal malpractice. Many spoke of having no mentoring, no help when they need it, which is a “huge issue,” one lawyer said, because so much of the legal staff are fairly recent law school grads.        (Some not even attorneys.)

Whether or not a person qualified for a defender rested with the presiding judge in the case.

The county-run system, used in many other states, had some successes, but many problems, said Scott Crichton, executive director of the ACLU. Larger counties with bigger budgets often had better public defender offices than smaller counties. Many public defenders had had enormous caseloads and did not have the same access to experts as prosecutors.

All of that meant poor defendants were not getting a fair shake in court, Crichton said.

Since Jewell wrote his messages, criticism aimed at the agency has mounted. Last year, a group of auditors called in from American University of Washington, D.C., released their conclusions:

Here’s what they found: Management is often non-functional, there isn’t enough money or support staff, morale is low and, perhaps not surprisingly, turnover is “relatively high.”

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_05e7fca6-9d23-11df-a55a-001cc4c03286.html

All of this the year that “Allen Whetstone – The Incarcerated Fireman” had to have a public defender, who threatened that he would not get a fair trial, she did not want to go to trial, she did not tell anyone that the registry was not by law mandated, she did not follow through on any of the information that she was given when was asked about going to jury trial.  Not all witnesses were called and those that were called they did not get the full story.  Since then received written statements have come in on behalf of Allen Whetstone and how things really went down at MDC.  She did not protest that Matt Johnson County Attorney was using misconduct in this case. When the four of them were meeting with her, it was mentioned when that misconduct was brought up how this whole case was handled, that it was nothing but mafia style running the system.  She did not disagree.  Remember, 4 were sitting in that room and heard that conversation.

Categories: The Innocent, USDOJ | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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