2007 election | I'm Surrounded By Idiots

The fraudulent claims of Homer Johnson

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [emphasis mine]:

Main Entry: fraud·u·lent

Function: adjective : characterized by, based on, or done by fraud : deceitful

Main Entry: fraud

Function: noun

1 a: deceit, trickery; specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b: an act of deceiving or misrepresenting : trick

2 a: a person who is not what he or she pretends to be : impostor; also : one who defrauds : cheat b: one that is not what it seems or is represented to be

I was going to be nice to Mr. Johnson this campaign, but since he and his sycophant supporters want to go around and spread his lies, let’s go:

From his homepage:

ELECT The People’s Choice for Sheriff

“The People’s Choice”? Really, then why did you only receive 33% of the vote when running for re-election as a twelve year incumbent?

More like the convicted felon choice…

From his “Consider this page”:

Consider the Criminal Solve Rates for the 12 years I was Sheriff

1992 – 65%

1993 – 73%

1994 – 75%

1995 – 86%

1996 – 83%

1997 – 88%

1998 – 91%

1999 – 90%

2000 – 93%

2001 – 91%

2002 – 94%

2003 – 90%

That’s some nice fraud there, from your own Uniform Crime Report reports, the actual criminal solve rates that you reported:

Year:	Claimed:	As Reported to the FBI:
1992	65%	65%
1993	73%	72%
1994	75%	75%
1995	86%	86%
1996	83%	84%
1997	88%	87%
1998	91%	91%
1999	90%	72%
2000	93%	69%
2001	91%	61%
2002	94%	55%
2003	90%	59%

Why the decrease starting in 1999? Well, starting in 1999, the Commonwealth of Virginia required agencies to submit data in incident base format (with details about every crime) instead of monthly tally sheets as had been done before. As for his claimed 91% solve rate in 1998 and before, it’s completely bogus. For five years, he claimed he solved 100% of the rapes that were reported to the sheriff’s office. The national solve rate for rape is only 41.3%. He claims he solved 91.46% of the larcenies that occurred in 1998. How did he accomplish this when the national solve rate for larcenies is only 18.0%? Are we to believe that Homer Johnson is, in fact, the dark knight, the caped crusader, Batman?

If Homer was the master of criminal investigation, why isn’t he the police chief for the Richmond Police Department or the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, instead of working at the local Q-Mart?

The Criminal Solve Rate was 58% when I took office as Caroline County Sheriff.

No, It wasn’t. it was 65%. Do you just make up numbers off the top of your head?

Is the current administration effective? Consider this…..

The Sheriff’s Office budget has increased from 2.1 million in 2003 to 3.7 million in 2007.

Yeah, your point? A lot of that money is going to dispatching, which the sheriff’s office is wholly in charge of now. Not to mention, the over 10% pay raise for sworn personnel and the over 5% raise for civilian personnel. Now Caroline County can compete with neighboring jurisdictions for highly trained personnel instead of telling deputies, like you did, “that they better stop their schooling”!

The size of the Sheriff’s Office has almost doubled since January of 2004.

So, you plan to cut personnel?

Since January of 2004 there has been over 60 employees come and go from the Sheriff’s Office.

You mean like the deputies that didn’t have training or were giving people traffic tickets with uncalibrated radar units and were using three years outdated implied consent cards?

The Crime Rate in Caroline (the number of crimes being committed) is up 66%.

Uh, no it isn’t.

The Criminal Solve Rate (the number of crimes being solved) of the current administration is 58%. That’s where we were in !991!

Uh, again, no, it isn’t.

From his “Time for a change” page:

I know the workings of a county sheriff’s office. In my 33 years of experience with Caroline I have been a jailer/dispatcher, the Chief Court Bailiff, the Safety Officer, The Field Training Officer, a Road Deputy, an Investigator, the Field Lieutenant and for 12 years, the Caroline Sheriff.

You only receive 33% of the vote as a twelve year incumbent! Why can’t you take a hint?

Criminal investigation is now and has always been a pressing concern of mine. “If somebody takes your property, breaks into your house or assaults or robs you . . . that’s my top priority”. Keeping you and your homes safe is the most important thing that the Caroline Sheriff’s Office can do.

Really? I’m still waiting on you to find the persons responsible for smashing my mail box up or burglarizing my dad’s house. Oh wait, we had to catch the delinquents ourselves.

Combating the drug problem will continue to be a major concern of mine. Drugs threaten us every day, in our communities, jobs, schools, families and homes. I will seek to use all resources available and will seek grants to help us fight the battle against illegal drugs.

Then why didn’t you accomplish a damn thing as sheriff? Why is that drug distribution arrests have more than doubled since Lippa took over?

I believe that Caroline deputies must be hired from the county so that they will know the county and the citizens will know them. A deputy who makes his home in Caroline will have more of a vested interest to see that Caroline is kept safe. He will care about where his children go to school, he will know his neighbors, he will know when something in his neighborhood is not right. Another plus to having deputies who live in Caroline would be having a shorter response time in case of an emergency whether it be a natural disaster or other threats. Deputies that do not live in Caroline just come to work to get a pay check and then go home.

Emergencies? Why is that my dead neighbor had to lay in a garden for four hours while his widow waited because all your deputies were on I-95? Another neighbor contacted you at home and you wouldn’t come! It’s only a eighteen (18) minute drive according to MapQuest and you still wouldn’t come!

Traffic enforcement has its place and is an effective tool in fighting crime. A Selective Enforcement Program in our county does enable deputies to capture wanted felons, seize contraband, weapons, drugs, stolen cars and remove drunk drivers from our roads. But, the Sheriff’s Office needs to be more than just a “traffic division”.

Are you not aware of the investigators in the sheriff’s office? They were lead by Sergeant (now Lieutenant) Chatman.

Why is that all I used to see was deputies on Route 301 doing radar? They used to be at every cut-through. Hell, the truck drivers are still spooked and still hit the brakes at every cut-through.

Now, I actually see deputies doing this thing called “patrolling”. Why is it, in 2003, in your platform summary, you included the following: “to expand traffic control programs”?

The Caroline Sheriff’s Office needs to get back to protecting you the citizens of Caroline and concentrating on solving crimes against you, crimes that invade your home and threaten you and your families. The Sheriff’s Office can only be effective in this endeavor through the help of citizens who help point officers to clues. For citizens to help they must have faith and trust in their elected officials and the deputies that are hired. A good rapport with citizens is one of the most important tools a sheriff or deputy can have. It has been my experience that people are willing to help when they know criminal investigation is high on the priority list. It saddens me to see that the faith in the Caroline Sheriff’s Office has slipped. We need to repair the trust. That is what I will do if elected your sheriff on November 6, 2007.

Let’s see, since Lippa has taken over, I can be sure if I have a problem that a deputy will respond; unlike what happened when a riot call was put out in 1993 at Horne’s Restaurant because none of your personnel would respond.

From his “The Beginning” page:

The criminal solve rate of the Caroline Sheriff in 1991 was 58%. Over the next 12 years that I was sheriff the solve rate grew to 90% in 2003, giving Caroline County the highest criminal solve rate in the state. Caroline County carried first place in crime solving the last 7 years I was sheriff.

Let’s see, your crime solve rates are frauds and you never had the highest criminal solve rate in the state (even when you were lying about your rates). Can you please stop your pathological lying?

Beginning in 1992 and for the next 12 years, deputies began receiving specialized training to include homicide investigation, child abuse, drug interdiction, burglary seminars, counterfeit money detection, composite drawings of criminal suspects, DUI enforcement as well as state mandated basic retraining classes.

Really? Then why didn’t you have a crime scene forensics vehicle back then?

How many of your deputies were teaching Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) classes? I know at least one of Lippa’s deputies does currently (an Alzheimer’s awareness class). Heck, Lippa used to teach at the police academies!

I believe in hiring the most qualified applicants, regardless of race or sex. In 1992 the first employee I hired was an African American man, Lester M. Johnson, Jr. and soon after I accepted the application of Regina Howard to be transferred to road duty from communications. Ms. Howard was the second female road deputy in Caroline history.

Then why didn’t you have any female sworn personnel for five years when you were sheriff according to your own statistics submitted to the Virginia State Police?

They’re currently five female sworn personnel now (including a sergeant and an investigator [who happens to be a forensic tech]).

I reinstated the DARE program to 5^th graders in our schools in Fall of 1992. DARE was expanded to cover primary, elementary and middle school in the following years. The Dare officer also conducted crime prevention programs, including Neighborhood Watch Programs in several areas.

There was never a neighborhood watch program in my neighborhood until Lippa took over…

I placed the first School Resource Officers in Caroline High School in 1995 and in Caroline Middle School in 1999.

Funny, the school resource officer at the middle school was gone half the time when I was there…

In October 1995 I received a grant and hired the Sheriff’s Office first full-time narcotics officer who worked with the regional drug task force of which Caroline was a member. We immediately began collecting evidence through a covert operation on suspected drug dealers, working with undercover officers, doing controlled buys to combat the drug problem in Caroline.

But you didn’t accomplish a damn thing…

Why is that the state police in Caroline had more drug arrests than the sheriff’s office did during your tenure?

I formed an auxiliary deputy force in 1996 to help free up road deputies. Auxiliary deputies are volunteers who are fully trained, insured and uniformed just like regular deputies. They attend the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy and upon completion of their training can perform any and all law enforcement duties. The only distinction being that they are not paid, they “volunteer” their time to Caroline and its citizens. My auxilary force ranged from 6 to 10 deputies. The Auxilary Volunteers also provide a pool of trained persons to hire from. This program has stopped with the present administration and I would like to see it reinstated.

And who pays for the training and equipment for these deputies? (You need to learn how to spell “auxiliary” as well.)

In October 1997, the Caroline Sheriff’s Office launched the biggest drug bust in the county’s history to date with 50 persons being convicted on 120 charges of cocaine possession and/or distribution.

Really? Then why did you only report forty (40) arrests for drug abuse violations to the FBI in 1997? And thirty (30) (75%) of those arrests were for possession of marijuana!

Meanwhile, the state police in Caroline in 1997 had sixty-two (62) arrests with nine (9) of those arrests for the sale or manufacture of drugs. Wait, wasn’t Lippa the first sergeant of this area then?

On April 15, 1999, I continued the pressure on suspected drug dealers with a large-scale drug bust that netted 38 people arrested on 62 drug charges. We shut down 2 drug houses on Macedonia Road and seized $6,400 in drugs.

Really? You only had seven (7) arrests for drug abuse violations the whole year! And only one of those arrests was for the sale or manufacture of drugs (and that was listed as the sale or manufacture of “other dangerous non-narcotic drugs”). Not to mention that I don’t see any drug seizures occurring on that date in your National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reports!

Meanwhile, the state police had thirty (30) arrests for drug abuse violations in 1999! Wait, wasn’t Lippa the first sergeant of this area then?

On October 19, 1999, the Caroline Sheriff’s Office seized 231 marijuana plants with a street value of $462,000 in the area of Burke’s Bridge near Milford. To date that harvest was the largest marijuana bust in county history. I received a tip from a county resident who had stumbled upon the plants. The citizens of Caroline were always the biggest help to me and my administration as we fought the drug problem together.

It’s funny how you have had three drug arrest/seizures that were “the biggest”. You obviously haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in the county, considering that the sheriff’s office seized 944 plants in 2005! Not to mention that I don’t see any drug seizures occurring on that date in your NIBRS reports!

In early October 2001, Caroline deputies seized 80 marijuana plants valued at $80,000 in the Sparta area.

In October 2001, the Caroline Sheriff’s Office had the biggest drug seizure in Caroline history to date when $500,000 in pot was seized in the Chilesburg area. According to Corinne Gellar of the Virginia State Police it was one of the largest in central Virginia that year. Over 500 female plants (some over 20 feet tall) were seized.

It’s funny how you have had three drug arrest/seizures that were “the biggest”. You obviously haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in the county, considering that the sheriff’s office seized 944 plants in 2005! Why is it that you had no arrests for the sale or manufacture of marijuana in 2001?

Consider the Richmond Times-Dispatch article: Police Can Tell Tall Tales About Bust (October 19, 2001) [emphasis mine]:

The drug bust, which yielded plants with an estimated street value of $500,000, is the largest in the county’s history and one of the biggest ever in the region, state police said.

[…]

Investigators searching a residence in Chilesburg in western Caroline seized the marijuana plants on Wednesday afternoon, state police said. They also confiscated 30 pounds of marijuana, three firearms, a van, equipment used to grow marijuana and several hundred dollars in cash, authorities said.

“It was a very complex, sophisticated growing operation,” said Corinne Geller, a state police spokeswoman.

And what grown man, a former sheriff no less, uses the word “pot”?

I worked over the years to secure over 1.2 million in state and federal grants. A few of the programs started with these grants were

….Community Policing, the hiring of 3 additional deputies to be assigned to working more closely with the citizens.

I never saw these mythical community policing deputies…

….Obtaining new equipment to better help deputies and Investigators.

Uh, why were the deputies being forced to use thirty year old restraints on prisoners and batons that barely worked?

My experience with Caroline County Sheriff’s Office

From October 1981 to January 1992 I was the Field Lieutenant. I supervised all road deputies, served as the Field Training Officer and the Department Safety Officer. I was also in charge of all courts and outside activities.

Then why didn’t you reinstate DARE when your were a field lieutenant if you were in charge of “outside activities”?

From January 1992 to January 2004 I was Caroline County Sheriff. I was the chief law enforcement officer in the county. I was totally in charge of all department operations, personnel and police vehicles.

Totally, dude. Ever find the person that stole the wheels off of that police cruiser?

Your county tax dollars at work…, Part 3

Paying for a “summer employment program”? Isn’t that the role of McDonald’s? (An ongoing series on the wasteful spending by the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator…)

According to the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Adopted Budget for Caroline County:

The Summer Employment Program is a County program set up to employ high school and college age County young people in part time and seasonal full time jobs with the County. The Program is intended to offer youth an opportunity to constructively occupy their time and to earn money while doing it. In addition, the Program is structured to give the participants the experience of applying and interviewing for a job and is expected to teach them valuable work habits that they will be able to draw upon in the future.

Any County Department or Constitutional Officer with a need for unskilled or introductory level labor can make use of the program and participants have been and are employed in a wide variety of maintenance, office support and recreation program activities. The County Administrator’s Office provides central coordination for the Program, managing the budget, soliciting and collecting applications, and forwarding them on to interested departments or offices.

An internship component has also been added to the program to give college age youth an opportunity to gain work experience in a professional setting.

You know, the last time I looked there were plenty of jobs out there during the summer for teens. Meanwhile, we’re paying in the tune of $156,837 budgeted to this operation over the last four fiscal years.

“Our tax base won’t allow 24-hour [fire/EMS] coverage” or a public safety building, but it does allow for a “summer employment program”?

With that money wasted every year, we could have afforded an additional deputy or an additional firefighter or medic. Heck, that’s the second fire/EMS or sheriff’s deputy position I’ve found so far!

What’s wrong with this website?

http://www.visitcaroline.com/07election.html

Anyone else think the names are ordered in an odd way?

They aren’t done alphabetically, and they don’t have the incumbent first (otherwise Sheriff Lippa should be above Mr. Johnson).

Of course, this isn’t the first time that the county administration has dabbled in politics; does anyone else have a problem with the County Administrator promoting “constituent meetings” for Wayne Acors a month before an election? When is he going to start promoting functions for John Green?

(Oh, and by the way, if they change the website, don’t worry, I have a PDF of it that I’ll post.)

Your county tax dollars at work…, Part 2

Paying for a cannery? (An ongoing series on the wasteful spending by the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator…)

According to the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Adopted Budget for Caroline County:

The Cannery, located on Route 301 next to the Community Services Center, is a County supported facility that enables Caroline residents to use equipment and technical expertise not otherwise available to them in the canning of food. Individuals may take any quantity or variety of meat or produce to the Cannery and the trained, part time staff will direct and assist them in processing and packing it in cans using the equipment at the facility.

So, we’re paying for the staff and the equipment necessary for a cannery. Paying in the tune of $130,732 budgeted to this operation over the last four fiscal years.

“Our tax base won’t allow 24-hour [fire/EMS] coverage” or a public safety building, but it does allow for a cannery? With that money wasted every year, we could have afforded an additional deputy or an additional firefighter or medic.

Oh, I’m going to blush, Part 2

From The Free Lance-Star: Court opponents help support Latney’s race:

Defense attorney Ed Vaughan donated $500 to Caroline County Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Latney’s re-election campaign and plans to help Latney out of a bind in his private practice.

Vaughan was one of eight local attorneys or firms who donated to Latney’s campaign. Overall, defense attorneys gave $4,750 of the $5,000 Latney raised over the summer.

The only donor listed on the report who was not a defense attorney was Supervisor Maxie Rozell.

“Anybody who gave Harvey Latney money did so without expectation,” Vaughan said.

All of the attorneys who donated to the campaign have had at least one case in Caroline County in the last six months.

But Latney said money made no difference in how he handled the cases.

“No one is getting any special treatment just because they think I’m the best person for the job,” he said. “These are people who believe in me and believe I’ve done a great job.”

Uh, because you let their clients off?

A review of Caroline Circuit Court cases over the past six months shows a majority of those that involved donating attorneys were reduced, dropped or nol prossed (dismissed with the potential to bring the charge back at a later date).

But so were most of the cases involving attorneys who did not contribute to Latney’s campaign.

And the largest donor was Mark Murphy, who defended Donna Blanton in the slaying of her husband. Latney won a murder conviction in that case, but an appeals court ordered a new trial because of the jury selection.

Tony Spencer, a former Richmond prosecutor opposing Latney in the incumbent’s first contested election in 30 years in office, did not have any donations listed from defense attorneys on his most recent campaign finance report.

Spencer said he doesn’t think contributing attorneys got preferential treatment in Caroline. But he said the high number of dismissals and reductions in charges are a concern.

“With Mr. Latney in office, Caroline County is a defense attorney’s paradise,” he said. “If I were a defense attorney practicing in Caroline County, I’d contribute to Harvey Latney.”

A Richmond attorney who donated $250 to Latney’s election campaign said he did so because he thinks the Caroline justice system is fair and works well.

“I donated to him to maintain status quo,” said John LaFratta, who often works as a court appointed attorney in Caroline. “If I thought he gave preferential treatment, I wouldn’t practice in that court.”

The status quo that all the criminals get off?

Bill Neely, commonwealth’s attorney for neighboring Spotsylvania County, said it is not unusual for defense attorneys to donate to a prosecutor’s campaign.

“You have to raise money where you can,” Neely said.

Though Neely is unopposed this year, he said he sought funds from defense attorneys when he faced challengers in the past.

“I sent solicitations to every member of the bar,” he said.

Vaughan said he thinks the reason the majority of Latney’s campaign funds come from attorneys is because those are the people he sees regularly.

“You look for money from your friends,” Vaughan said. “And his friends happen to be defense attorneys.”

Vaughan also said he plans to give to a fund for Latney’s private law practice because, “You hope people do the right thing in the time of need.”

Latney owes clients about $300,000 for money missing from their estate accounts he was managing in his Richmond-based practice.

His secretary of 27 years, Sheila Boone, is charged with theft. Although Latney is not suspected to be at fault criminally, he is held responsible for repayment. His insurance carrier has refused to cover the loss.

Craig Cooley, a Richmond defense attorney, said he set up the fund and sent a letter soliciting donations because Latney “is not a high-income person but is a very high-integrity person.”

“He was victimized by a trusted employee,” Cooley said. “It could happen to any of us.”

Cooley also said he felt the fundraiser would have no effect on treatment in Caroline courts.

The only client Cooley has represented in Caroline Circuit Court was John Ames, who was charged with killing his neighbor in a dispute over a bull. Ames pleaded self-defense and was acquitted after a trial.

Cooley would not say how many people he sent the letter to, how many have donated or how much money has been raised.

Why not? Scared of what might come out if you released the information?

He said he doesn’t plan to try any more cases in Caroline anytime soon.

Oh, I’m going to blush

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Attorney raising funds for prosecutor:

A well-known Richmond defense attorney is soliciting donations to help Caroline County Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Latney Jr. repay $300,000 that the prosecutor’s longtime secretary is accused of stealing from a client.

Craig S. Cooley, who has opposed Latney in the courtroom in the past, said yesterday that he sent out the letter because Latney “is perhaps the most respected attorney and human being that I know.”

“It could happen to any one of us,” Cooley said of the theft from an estate for which Latney, who also maintains a private law practice, was the executor.

Cooley said Latney is a fair and honest professional and that Cooley would not expect preferential treatment in his dealings with the prosecutor. Still, Cooley added, “I don’t know that I would take any case at this point in which he was the prosecutor” now that Cooley is soliciting money for Latney.

In 2004, Cooley won acquittal for John F. Ames, a Caroline cattleman and bankruptcy attorney, during a murder trial that Latney prosecuted. Ames had said he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot his neighbor during a dispute over a wayward bull.

While Cooley would not say how much he has contributed to the repayment fund or say who has donated money, campaign finance reports show that several attorneys have given money to Latney’s separate re-election campaign, including some defense attorneys who oppose him in court. One of them, Mark Murphy, gave $1,500, making him the top contributor to Latney’s campaign to date, based on the reports.

Cooley said yesterday that he sent the letter Sept. 20 to a select number of defense attorneys, prosecutors and others, though he would not specify to whom or how many people. Cooley said the fund drive has nothing to do with Latney’s re-election campaign, and he lamented that the letter had been posted on a blog maintained by a supporter of Latney’s opponent, Tony Spencer. Cooley confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

If it’s on the up and up, then what’s the problem?

Spencer, a former Richmond deputy commonwealth’s attorney, said yesterday that a copy of Cooley’s letter had been given to him and that he provided a copy to a supporter.

“I hold Craig Cooley in high esteem. I believe everything he does comes from a pure motive. But it would come as no surprise to anyone that the criminal defense bar would like to see Harvey Latney re-elected,” Spencer said.

Spencer has accused Latney of routinely agreeing to an excessive number of plea deals that result in dropped or reduced charges. Efforts to reach Latney by telephone and in person at his office in Bowling Green yesterday were unsuccessful.

Murphy, the top contributor to Latney’s campaign, represents Donna L. Blanton, a Caroline woman who won a retrial for her conviction in the October 2003 slaying of her law-enforcement husband. Blanton’s new trial is scheduled to start Nov. 29. Murphy represented her during her initial trial as well.

Murphy said yesterday that Latney is a longtime friend and an ardent advocate for the people of Caroline.

“I think he does a fantastic job for that community,” he said. “That’s to the point of absurdity that anybody would think that” a campaign contribution would affect the way a case is handled.

In the Blanton and Ames cases, Latney opposed defense motions, by Murphy and Cooley, respectively, seeking bond for the defendants pending trial. A judge granted Ames bond, but not Blanton.

No, Latney didn’t oppose bond for John Ames, he was paraphrased as saying, “Cooley’s request for a $50,000 bond was too low and that if Ames was released, he should be on court-ordered pretrial supervision.”

In his letter to colleagues, Cooley wrote that Latney’s insurance does not cover theft but that Latney plans to challenge the insurer in court. Cooley wrote that the secretary, Sheila M. Boone, appears unlikely to be able to pay restitution to the clients and that Latney is ultimately responsible to his clients.

“We have long known Harvey to be a man of honor and integrity and an underpaid but devoted public servant,” Cooley wrote. “He needs our help.”

Boone was initially indicted in Richmond Circuit Court, but her case has been turned over to federal authorities. She is scheduled to be tried Nov. 5 in U.S. District Court on charges that she embezzled thousands of dollars from an estate being handled by Latney.

Who does a convicted felon want as sheriff of Caroline County?

Why, Homer Johnson, of course. Or as Tom James has said, “[…] the only people who don’t like Sheriff Lippa are the criminals.”

A Ms. Ella Kay Pritchard wrote a letter in the September 5, 2007, edition of The Caroline Progress complaining about current Sheriff Tony Lippa and calling on voters to vote for Homer Johnson for sheriff in November. She even goes so far as to call Homer Johnson “[…] an honest & respectable member of our community”. Ha! Coming from a convicted felon! For even more humor consider Ms. Pritchard’s criminal history below:

Ella Kay Pritchard’s partial criminal history (felonies in bold):
- May 24, 2005, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Revoked suspended sentence/probation – Show Cause.
- April 6, 2005, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Grand larceny.
  - Guilty – Capias.
- December 17, 2004, Caroline County General District:
  - Guilty – Obstruction of justice.
- November 5, 2004, Stafford County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Larceny third offense.
- August 6, 2004, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty in absentia – Speeding 60/45.
- January 20, 2004, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty – Following too closely.
- November 25, 2003, Stafford County General District:
  - Prepaid – Speeding 74/55.
  - Prepaid – Safety belt violation.
- April 17, 2002, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Petit larceny.
- October 23, 2001, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty in absentia – Speeding 71/55.
- February 3, 2000, Stafford County General District:
  - Guilty – Bad check-$90.00
- October 22, 1999, Spotsylvania County General District:
  - Guilty – Bad check-$31.22.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$70.54.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$3.30.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$19.76.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$67.72.
  - Guilty – Bad check-$78.00.
- August 20, 1999, Hanover County General District:
  - Guilty – Driving suspended.

This is rich… Part 2

Part 1

Apparently Damon Gray was told to take a hike by the Caroline County Democratic Committee:

From The Caroline Progress (print edition, September 5, 2007, p. 6): To Whom It May Concern [emphasis mine]:

To Whom It May Concern

Be it known that any Board of Supervisors Candidate wanting to obtain the Caroline County Democratic Party Nomination for the November 6th 2007 Election must have filed the following documents on or before April 13th 2007 at 5:00 p.m.

Candidates to be determined by a Primary Election/Mass Meeting must have filed:

Petition of Qualified Voters (125 signatures of registered voters in the district) (signatures not required for Mass Meeting)

Statement of Organization

Certificate of Candidate Qualification

Declaration of Candidacy

Receipt for payment of Primary Filing fee

Statement of Economic Interests

The documents must be filed with the chair of the political party, the General County Registrar and the Electoral Board. The Primary filing fee must be filed with the County Treasurer.

No candidate filed for the Democratic Party Nomination in the Bowling Green or Madison Magisterial Districts.

And further proof that Damon Gray is an idiot, from the The Free Lance-Star (June 30, 2001): Base builder now facing drug charges [emphasis mine]:

A Caroline County business owner was charged this week with heading to work at Fort A.P. Hill with drugs in his possession, police said.

Damon Lee Gray, 49, is charged with possessing a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, Caroline Sheriff Homer Johnson said.

Gray owns and operates the Sparta General Store, a popular store in the community south of Bowling Green.

He also has a construction business and is one of the contractors working at A.P. Hill in preparation for the upcoming Boy Scout Jamboree. Johnson said Gray has done excellent work on several county churches.

Johnson said a regional drug task force and others began investigating Gray and others after receiving complaints that Gray and his crew were smoking marijuana at the Army base work sites.

The task force, which includes officers from Caroline, Fluvanna and Louisa counties, had Gray and others under surveillance for a few weeks. The Provost Marshal’s Office at A.P. Hill assisted the task force.

On Tuesday morning, Johnson said, Gray was stopped by military authorities on the Army base. Individuals on federal bases are subject to search without a warrant, Johnson said.

Johnson said police found marijuana and Percocet in Gray’s possession. He did not have a prescription for the painkiller, the sheriff said.

Johnson said an investigation into alleged drug activities involving others is ongoing.

Johnson said it is his understanding that Gray won’t be allowed to work at A.P. Hill pending the outcome of his case. But he said it shouldn’t affect the Jamboree.

“The Scouts are coming as scheduled,” Johnson said. “It will take more than this to slow them down.”

August 30, 2007 Roundup

Blog stuff:

The new 2007 General Election section has links for candidates running for election this year. If I missed one contact me.
The new Alert Systems section to the right which contains links to alert systems that have been set up by local jurisdictions, including Caroline, King George, and Stafford counties, University of Mary Washington, and Germanna Community College. I also threw in some of the farther away counties and colleges for those that commute or have family that are attending them. If you have links to any more contact me.
Internet Haganah has been added to the National links section. Check it out.

Justice in Caroline? Nope, just nolle prosequis. Part 5, apparently it’s okay to assault law enforcement officers.

From The Free Lance-Star (August 23, 2007): Police briefs:

A man who was to be arraigned and tried for a felony assault and battery of a Caroline County sheriff’s deputy yesterday ended up with two months in jail, which he had already served.

John Lamont Walton repeated the words “thank you” over and over after finding out that Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Latney would reduce his charges to a misdemeanor assault if he’d plead guilty.

The judge ordered him to serve six months in jail, four suspended with credit for time served and to pay his court costs. Walton had already served two months in jail.

The deputy he was charged with assaulting, J.K. Miller didn’t testify.

John Lamont Walton’s partial criminal history (felonies in bold, nolle prosequi by Harvey Latney in italics):
- August 22, 2007, Caroline County Circuit:
  - Guilty – Assault and battery [knock back from felony assault on a law enforcement officer].
- June 8, 2007, Caroline County General District:
  - Nolle prosequi – Assault on law enforcement officer.
  - Nolle prosequi – Obstruction of justice.
  - Nolle prosequi – Disorderly conduct.
  - Nolle prosequi – Spitting in public place.
  - Nolle prosequi – Spitting in public place.
- June 2, 2006, Caroline County General District:
  - Guilty – Assault and battery.
- December 5, 2003, Caroline County General District:
  - Guilty – Petit larceny.
  - Guilty – Driving on suspended license.
  - Guilty – Reckless driving.