Category: Homer Johnson

Ellen Blitz (and/or her editor) of The Free Lance–Star should be fired.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

Consider the opening paragraph (and sub-headline) of this recent story in The Free Lance–Star (get your own link [I refuse to link to that sorry excuse of a newspaper when incompetent morons like Ellen Blitz write the stories]):

A former Caroline County deputy and campaign worker for Sheriff Tony Lippa was arrested this morning by the Virginia State Police after allegations that he sexually abused a child.

Now, what does that paragraph say and what does it clearly imply?

It clearly states:

1.) The accused is a former Caroline County Sheriff’s Office deputy. True

2.) The accused worked for “Sheriff Tony Lippa”‘s campaign. FALSE

3.) The accused has been accused of sexually abusing a child. True

The problem with #2 is the following: It states he campaigned for Sheriff Tony Lippa. That means that he would have campaigned for Lippa in 2007 since Lippa didn’t become Sheriff until January 1, 2004. However if you bother reading down to paragraphs #5, 6, 8; you learn the following:

According to a story published in The Free Lance-Star in 2003, [the accused, Clyde Charles] Davenport put his name in that year to run for sheriff that year.

However, he did not continue with his own campaign.

[…]

Lippa said Davenport actually became a supporter of his and assisted by working on his 2003 campaign staff.

As stated above, Lippa was not Sheriff in 2003. So how was he a “campaign worker for Sheriff Tony Lippa”?

He wasn’t. As I can personally state, while I was going around causing trouble to the local politicians in 2007: I never saw the guy!

And now paragraph #1 and the sub-headline clearly implies the following:

1.) The accused worked for Sheriff Tony Lippa as a Sheriff’s Deputy. FALSE

When you get down to the ninth paragraph you learn the following:

Lippa said that Davenport never worked for the sheriff’s office while he was in office. He had already quit the force before Lippa took over.

It takes until the third to the last paragraph for the utterly useless and incompetent Ellen Blitz to point that out.

Who the heck is this woman’s editor? Better yet, who the heck is she? And what staggering constellation of editorial and journalist failures allowed this woman to command a pencil (to paraphrase a Penny Arcade comic)?

Of course, this isn’t the first time Ellen Blitz has failed to tell the truth in an newspaper article.

Consider a somewhat recent article where she flat out lies and states that to carry a concealed Taser requires that you have a concealed handgun permit. I e-mailed her alerting her to her error (reprinted without permission):

Ms. Biltz,

It is my understanding that tasers are NOT considered an illegal concealed weapon.

Back in July of 2007, an article in The Free Lance–Star stated: “[Fredericksburg Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy] Cornick said it is not technically illegal to conceal a Taser unless you are a convicted felon”.

Furthermore, tasers are not enumerated as a weapon that is illegal to conceal in §18.2-308(A).

-Timothy Watson

Her ignorant reply:

While that is the case with most tasers, the gentleman to which that information was attributed was talking about the release of a new kind of taser that does require a concealed weapon permit. As stated in the story, they became available at the beginning of this year (after the story you cited was published).

Ellen Biltz

My second e-mail [emphasis in original]:

What exactly is different about these new tasers? How can they be defined as “any pistol, revolver, or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind by action of an explosion of any combustible material” (§18.2-308(A))? They apparently use compressed nitrogen. Compressed nitrogen isn’t a combustible material and isn’t employed through the use of an explosion.

And a concealed handgun permit only allows you to carry a handgun [emphasis mine]: “Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the county or city in which he resides, or if he is a member of the United States Armed Forces, the county or city in which he is domiciled, for a five-year permit to carry a concealed handgun.” (§18.2-308(D))

And a handgun is defined as (§18.2-308(M)):
“Handgun” means any pistol or revolver or other firearm, except a machine gun, originally designed, made and intended to fire a projectile by means of an explosion of a combustible material from one or more barrels when held in one hand.

There’s no way that a concealed handgun permit would allow you to carry an concealed taser (if it was against the law to conceal a taser in the first place, which it isn’t).

No correction was issued in the past case and I don’t expect one in this case.

This is the caliber (no pun intended) of the crack journalism standards of The Free Lance–Star. If you want to extend the sample outside of just Ellen Blitz’s writing, there’s even more:

There’s Keith Epps making jokes about sexual battery (link). He has the same useless editor, Dick Hammerstrom, as Ellen Blitz.

And there’s Robin Knepper (and by extension, her editor, Phil Jenkins) who covers Orange County. She published a story in January 17, 2008 that stated, in part, the following:

LOWA officials blame Popowicz, now a Caroline County supervisor and a loan officer for Flagstar Bank.

“Bob Popowicz was given a lot of authority to make change orders and to direct the contractor to do things that cost money. He was not keeping track.”

No one is claiming Popowicz did anything illegal. Williams, the treasurer, said he thinks Popowicz and Century simply had “too close a relationship.”

A follow-up, also written by Knepper, was published on March 3, 2008:

The overruns are the result of change orders authorized by then-Assistant General Manager Bob Popowicz, who served as project manager for many Lake of the Woods building, repair and remodeling projects. Popowicz was elected to the Caroline County Board of Supervisors in November.

And then, finally, on March 22, 2008, more than two months later, Knepper bothered to get her facts straight:

The ad hoc committee’s report was released on March 1 and was reported in The Free Lance-Star the next day. Headlines on the story mistakenly attributed the $320,000 cost overruns to Caroline County Supervisor Bob Popowicz, who was the project manager through most of the construction.

Popowicz left his job as assistant general manager at Lake of the Woods in early October 2007. Four of the six change orders were approved after he left.

Although Popowicz served as project manager for the Woods Center construction, the Lake of the Woods’ operations manual states that the general manager is responsible for approving the purchase of all goods and services over $5,000.

In two letters to The Free Lance-Star, Popowicz took responsibility for signing four of the change orders, but he noted that they were ordered or approved first by the general manager. He also noted that change orders were often necessitated “by government and regulatory agencies” and were not anticipated by the contractors.

Let’s see, we’re up to two editors, Dick Hammerstrom, Phil Jenkins, and three reporters, Ellen Blitz, Keith Epps, and Robin Knepper.

Oh, we can’t forget the moron, Frank Delano (and, again, by extension, his editor Phil Jenkins) that called a convicted terrorist a “Palestinian activist”!

I have another question, in the original story by Frank Delano, he states that the convicted terrorist was to be deported to Palestine. There is no country by the name of “Palestine”. How the hell do you deport someone to a country that doesn’t exist? Does this guy have a college education? Did he have to take a geography class in school at anytime?

We are now up to two editors and four reporters now.

Oh, there’s Jeff Branscome, and by extension his editor, Laura Hutchison, not knowing jacks*** about the legal battle between Patricia Mancini and Price Jett Jr. over a Stafford County School Board seat (Fred2Blue).

So, that’s three editors and five reporters now that need to be fired.

I’m sure there are more, but I’m too lazy to find them.

A two act show

U2 – “Beautiful Day”:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFdpnSu57U]

Steam – “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwnqqj5Q1BU]

Goodbye Calvin Taylor, Harvey Latney, and Homer Johnson (again)!

Damn fine job there Maxie!

Race Candidate Vote Vote%
Clerk of Court      
 

Ray Smith Campbell, Jr.

3,978

65.57%
 

Terry M. Southworth

2,088

34.42%
Commonwealth’s Attorney

 

    
 

Anthony G. “Tony” Spencer

4,038

60.10%
 

Harvey Latney, Jr.

2,680

39.89%
Sheriff      
 

A. A. “Tony” Lippa, Jr.

4,748

69.74%
 

Homer G. Johnson

1,487

21.84%
 

Jack E. Braxton, Jr.

573

8.41%

Board of Supervisors – Bowling Green

      
 

Damon L. Gray, Sr.

312

20.29%
 

George L. Spaulding, Jr.

522

33.96%
 

Jeffery M. “Jeff” Sili

703

45.73%
Board of Supervisors – Madison      
 

John C. Green

664

43.77%
 

Wayne A. Acors

853

56.22%
Board of Supervisors – Mattaponi      
 

Floyd W. Thomas

711

59.94%
 

William O. “Bill” Pickett

475

40.05%
Board of Supervisors – Port Royal      
 

Bobby J. Popowicz, Jr.

597

52.46%
 

Calvin B. Taylor, Sr.

541

47.53%
School Board – Bowling Green      
 

Kerry L. Bischoff

697

47.12%
 

Tamara Lyn “Tami” Redding

782

52.87%
School Board – Madison      
 

Bruce J. Levy

534

36.87%
 

William A. “Bill” Anderson

914

63.12%

Permanent top post through election day (scroll down for newer stuff)

Here are some quotes to consider going into election day:

Sheriff’s race:

“I’m going to stand for loyalty, integrity, pride, professionalism and accountability,” said Lippa, a 24-year veteran of the state police. “I think the citizens of this county deserve that.”

Lippa, 49, said he wants to see Caroline sheriff’s deputies taking advantage of the same training and education as the troopers he supervises at the state police field office in Bowling Green.

“They need to be a step above the crime and the criminals,” Lippa said. “The more education they can have, the better they will be.”

[…]

“I don’t know what Tony’s talking about, I’ve never been arrested,” Johnson said.

The former state police sergeant has already moved into his new office, appointed a command staff, promoted from within and hired experienced law enforcement officers from around the region to join him when he officially becomes Sheriff Lippa tomorrow morning.

The 24-year veteran of the Virginia State Police trampled 12-year incumbent Sheriff Homer Johnson in the November election, winning by 66 percent of the vote.

Now, Lippa, 48, wants to make sure he doesn’t let voters down.

“Obviously, the people of Caroline thought it was time for drastic changes, and that’s what I’m here to do,” he said.

One of his first moves was to hire two new female deputies–and he hopes to add a third.

“The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t had a female deputy on patrol in 12 years,” he said.

He’s also beefing up the school resource program by adding a third deputy to work high school hallways when the other two are off duty or called away for court.

Lippa has already moved the Sheriff’s Office administrative staff out of their tiny cramped quarters and into the former county prosecutor’s office.

He’s been talking with county officials about moving the entire Sheriff’s Office to the old courthouse building now that the new courthouse complex is finished.

Just weeks after the election, he asked for resumes from all 41 Sheriff’s Office employees and has reappointed each of them, in some cases promoting officers or moving them into specialized areas to utilize their expertise.

He’s also ordered new shirts, with colorful county-seal patches emblazoned on the sleeves, for everyone in the department.

“There was concern about morale with a new sheriff taking over, but morale has been tremendous,” Lippa said.

Lippa hired an old friend as his second-in-command at the Sheriff’s Office. Former state police Special Agent Mike Hall will take over as major on Friday.

Hall headed up the regional drug task force in recent years, and tackling drug problems is one of Lippa’s first priorities.

Sheriff’s Capt. Scott Moser, formerly Johnson’s second-in-command, will take over the department’s investigative unit.

Spotsylvania sheriff’s Detective Bobby Jones has also moved to Lippa’s team as an investigator, bringing 21 years’ experience.

“I’m trying to branch out and put good people in the areas they know best,” he said.

Commonwealth’s Attorney’s race:

  • Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 1, 2007:

Shelia Mae Boone pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of federal bank fraud for writing one $1,000 check to herself on the account of the lawyer for whom she worked.

That lawyer is Harvey Latney Jr., who works part time as the commonwealth’s attorney in Caroline County in addition to his private law practice. Boone was his only employee.

U.S. District Court documents on Boone describe a period of at least two years when she was forging checks on bank accounts set up by Latney for money he was holding for clients and estates he was handling.

[…]

A statement filed with her guilty plea yesterday states that she stole a total of $92,930.42, including the $1,000. That leaves at least $178,000 not accounted for by Boone’s plea agreement or statement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Gill declined to comment on the case.

Boone’s lawyer, Arnold Henderson, said he agreed with federal prosecutors that the single bank-fraud count “was the appropriate charge to bring” against his client.

“I don’t know what’s truly missing from Mr. Latney’s accounts,” Henderson said. “My investigation does not reveal that Ms. Boone had any involvement above [the $92,930.82].”

George Chabalewski, counsel for the Virginia State Bar, confirmed last month that the bar has opened an investigation of Latney because of the missing money. Chabalewski would not say who initiated the bar complaint or provide other details.

[…]

Members of the Williams family had been complaining at least since last year about how long Latney was taking to settle the estate. One of the city’s commissioners of accounts started looking into the complaints and eventually discovered money was missing.

Board of Supervisors:

Caroline County’s future is unfolding as construction begins on the new Pendleton subdivision.

The 3,500-home neighborhood is going up on nearly 1,200 acres in Ladysmith on U.S. 1 and State Route 639 between two other subdivisions, Lake Caroline and Lake Land’Or.

[…]

“I don’t think it will bring citizens who will be a burden to the county,” he said. “The houses are nice houses. They are probably middle and upper-income houses, and will probably bring citizens who will enhance the county.”

As opposed to us lowly serfs in the Port Royal district I guess…

Hawaii may be famous for its sand and surf, but Stafford County Supervisor Bob Gibbons says he’s more interested in the island state’s roads.

Gibbons is one of three supervisors in the Fredericksburg area who plan to fly to Honolulu next month to attend the National Association of Counties’ five-day annual conference.

But Gibbons and Caroline County Supervisors Wayne Acors and Calvin Taylor say the July 15-19 session will be a working trip.

“Hawaii is one of the leading states on the program they have done for their rural roads,” Gibbons said. “We are going to look at them and try to understand how they did it.”

[…]

Most supervisors in the Fredericksburg area opted out of the trip for varying reasons. Spotsylvania County, for instance, discontinued its NACO membership last year.

[…]

Stafford and Caroline counties will pay $415 for the conference registration for their supervisors, plus costs for meals and transportation. Caroline’s supervisors will fly on economy seats for $740 each. Stafford officials were still unsure about travel costs yesterday.

[…]

Officials in both counties said they could not verify hotel costs, which range from $179 to $295, according to an online hotel reservation form for attendees.

Advertisements for one of the hotels, The Royal Hawaiian, state that “the beach is at the guest’s disposal.” But supervisors say they’ll spend most of the day in conferences, soaking up information instead of rays.

[…]

Still, Caroline’s decision to fund the trip could pose political risks. Some residents have criticized supervisors for considering a 2 percent gas tax to fund transportation improvements.

Supervisors said the county’s road needs cost much more than a trip to Hawaii.

“You’re not going to pave roads for $3,500,” Taylor said.

Really? Then why does your own budget say that $12,703 was spent on travel expenses, along with $1,411 for the NACO membership, and $2,943 for “meals and food supplies”? Can you pave roads with $17,057?

Caroline supervisors voted 4-1 last night to rezone a 377-acre farm to allow the State Fair to move to the county by 2007.

[…]

Jayne Massie, who lives in the Reedy Church District, said she is worried about traffic backups on State Route 30. Fair officials say most traffic will come from Interstate 95, but Massie disagreed.

[…]

“The worksheet indicated that the State Fair’s move to Meadow Farm may not be a direct revenue generator for the county, but it should not be a source significant cost either,” Sieg said.

But Sieg’s numbers don’t include Sheriff Tony Lippa’s projected financial impact on his department. Lippa urged the board to delay a vote on the fair.

“If we should have an event that includes mutual aid, who’s gonna reimburse us?” he asked.

Lippa also thought he and Fire and Rescue Director Ed Fuzy should have power to sign off on security plans for all fair events.

“You’re going to give up control if you don’t have that condition in there,” he said.

Richmond Times-Dispatch election coverage:

From Richmond Times-Dispatch: Law enforcement gets attention in Caroline:

Law and order are generating a lot of talk on the campaign trail in Caroline County.

Two candidates hope to unseat Sheriff A.A. “Tony” Lippa Jr. on Tuesday, while Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Latney Jr. faces his first opponent in nearly 30 years.

In the sheriff’s race, Homer G. Johnson wants to reclaim the position he lost to Lippa four years ago. Johnson, running as a Democrat, was sheriff for 12 years. Also in the race is Jack E. Braxton Jr., a career law-enforcement officer who, like Lippa, is running as an independent.

Johnson, who started his career as a Caroline deputy in 1971, said that if elected again, he would focus his efforts more on criminal investigations than traffic enforcement.

“The sheriff’s office needs to be more than just a traffic commission,” he said.

Then why did your platform summary in 2003 include the following: “to expand traffic control programs”?

Johnson also said he wants to get ahead of illegal immigration in the county before it becomes a problem, and that deputies should be county residents.

And you’ll tell your deputies they better stop their schooling!

Lippa, a longtime Caroline resident who was a Henrico County police officer before serving 24 years with Virginia State Police, says he has markedly increased the professionalism of the department. He cites his efforts to win accreditation and certification for the department, as well as starting programs such as Project Livesaver, which helps the department track memory-impaired individuals who might wander from home.

Lippa takes issue with Johnson’s contention that crime has increased in Caroline during the past four years. Lippa says deputies in his administration have arrested more people than did deputies under Johnson.

“Our men and women have gone out and been proactive,” Lippa said.

Braxton, who served with the Washington police and U.S. Marshals Service, said he wants to seek funding to increase hiring, buy equipment and improve training.

Braxton, who moved back to Caroline in 2006, also wants to start a Crime Solvers reward fund — he has pledged $10,000 from his salary if elected — and says he would form a community advisory commission and meet with it regularly.

Lippa says he already has civilian and business advisory teams, to which Braxton replies, “If he does, he must be keeping it a good secret.”

How the hell would you know? You only moved back to the county in 2006! And you still stay in Maryland half the time!

. . .

In the race for commonwealth’s attorney, challenger Anthony G. “Tony” Spencer pledges to be a full-time prosecutor. A former deputy prosecutor in Richmond, he accuses Latney, who holds the position on a part-time basis, of agreeing to dismiss or reduce too many cases.

Spencer, who grew up in Caroline and recently moved back to the county, also notes that several defense attorneys, some of whom oppose Latney in court, have contributed to Latney’s re-election campaign.

“Follow the money, you’ll see” who wants whom to be elected, said Spencer, who is running as an independent.

Latney, a Democrat, says the charges are without merit. He says Spencer does not know the reasons behind case dismissals. And Latney says he is able to handle Caroline’s criminal docket while he maintains his private law practice in Richmond.

How’s that Virginia State Bar investigation going? How about that lawsuit against you from the family of Florence Williams?

As for defense attorneys contributing to his campaign, Latney says, “My friends are people in the legal profession. They have contributed to me because they believe I do a good job for the community. That’s all it is. Period.”

“And I think, too, that I can say that in my years of public life, that I welcome this kind of examination because people have got to know whether or not their [Commonwealth’s Attorney]’s a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.” -Paraphrase of Richard Nixon.

Famous last words…

. . .

The election also features a contest for Circuit Court clerk between Republican incumbent Ray S. Campbell Jr., who says he would like to improve technology use by electronically recording deeds and scanning case files, and General District Court Clerk Terry Southworth, an independent who says she would like to improve customer service and organization of the Circuit Court clerk’s office.

Figured out how to comply with state law about the issuing of concealed handgun permits yet Ray?

In contests for the Board of Supervisors, recruiting businesses and keeping watch over residential growth are big issues, and two challengers are trying again to unseat incumbents to whom they lost in 2003.

John C. Green, a paramedic, is again taking on Wayne A. Acors, who has held the Madison District seat for 20 years. Republican Bobby J. Popowicz Jr., a bank loan officer, is again trying to unseat Calvin B. Taylor Sr., the Port Royal District supervisor since 1992.

Three candidates are vying for the seat being vacated by longtime Bowling Green District Supervisor Robert W. Farmer. Republican Jeff Sili, who has served on the School Board, will try again — he lost a bid in 2003. He faces George L. Spaulding Jr., a longtime School Board member, coach and educator, as well as Damon L. Gray Sr., a building contractor.

Democrat Floyd W. Thomas, who has held the Mattaponi District seat since 1992, faces challenger William O. “Bill” Pickett, operations manager at a local lumber company. Current Chairman David M. “Maxie” Rozell Jr. is unopposed in the Reedy Church District.

Yes, I know, it’s unfortunate, isn’t it?

Two of five School Board seats are challenged: Kerry L. Bischoff faces Tamara Lyn “Tami” Redding for the open Bowling Green District seat, while Chairman William A. “Bill” Anderson faces challenger Bruce J. Levy.

Even more fraud from Homer Johnson

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [emphasis mine]:

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

Necessary reading before hand: Homer’s ad on B5 of the October 31, 2007, of The Caroline Progress. It’s ironically placed below a story about a haunted house and the ad is pretty damn scary.

Your claim regarding conservators of the peace is an outright lie, from § 19.2-13:

Upon the application of any sheriff or chief of police of any county, city, town or any corporation authorized to do business in the Commonwealth or the owner, proprietor or authorized custodian of any place within the Commonwealth and the showing of a necessity for the security of property or the peace, a circuit court judge of any county or city, in his discretion, may appoint one or more special conservators of the peace who shall serve as such for such length of time as the court may designate, but not exceeding four years under any one appointment.

The sheriff doesn’t have to do anything with the application you fraud! If you support security companies, Homer, why is it that Wackenhut Corporation, a private security company, has donated $1,400 to Sheriff Lippa’s campaign? I don’t see any donations from security companies or security personnel in your campaign documents!

And you say “I stand by what I have said”. You mean the following lies?:

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?

More crap from his ad:

About the addendum cards, they were used for information only. Addendum cards contain information from citizens who called in to report something out of the ordinary to the Sheriff’s Office. For example, a citizen would call the Sheriff’s Office to say that someone had drove off the road and ran into their fence, or that someone had thrown trash in the woods on their property. Addendum cards had nothing to do with any on-going active cases.

So, misdemeanor or felony destruction of property doesn’t get investigated by your sheriff’s office? Trepassing and littering doesn’t either? I’m still waiting on you to find out who smashed up my family’s mailbox and the mailboxes of pretty much everyone on my road. No deputy responded, explain that, would you? Did those dozen mailboxes end up on addendum cards too?

And Homer, where do you get the nerve to refer to Sheriff Lippa as “Mr. Lippa”? Just because he beat you with 66% of the vote when you were a twelve year incumbent?

And you have the gall to refer yourself as “Sheriff Homer G. Johnson, ret.”? Is it considered retirement when you only receive 33% of the vote as a twelve year incumbent? I think that’s called being the laughing stock of the county!

And you claim that “[Sheriff] Mr. Lippa is slamming some of the finest record keepers of the Caroline Sheriff’s Department had”. First, it’s a sheriff’s office, something you should know since you were sheriff for twelve years (yes, I know, you spent most of the time at the New Yorker). Second, Lippa isn’t slamming the record keepers, he’s slamming you and your policies. I’ve heard from several of your own personnel that they were not supposed to take reports on stolen items that were covered by insurance. Explain that, would you? How about your claim in a telephone call that you prioritized cases so they would be cleared by the time crime reports were due instead of the actual importance of the case?

You claim to have hired the first African-American deputy? Funny, the information I’ve seen says that he was hired by Ottie J. Moore.

As for your “open door” policy, is that the same open door policy that you used to flee from questions at the Caroline County Constitutional Officers Candidates’ Forum? “I have to go to the bathroom”. He goes in and comes out after five seconds (did you wash your hands?) and then runs through the nearest open door to get away from questions! And he has to get his wife to talk to the people! I heard you did the same thing at the Lake Caroline forum too!

Another claim:

Continuing the battle against drugs, utilizing all available sources and seeking grants

Really? Then why have drug distribution arrests more than doubled since Lippa became sheriff? Why was it that Caroline County from 1996-1998 was ranked 128th out of 132 jurisdictions for arrests for the sale of narcotics?

Another claim:

Being more than just a “traffic division”

Really? Then why did your platform summary in 2003 include the following: “to expand traffic control programs”? I didn’t know you could expand traffic control beyond having a deputy at every cut-through on Route 301 like you used to have Homer. I can get a deputy when I need one now Homer unlike when my neighbor died and his widow and another neighbor were told all your deputies were on I-95!

Is there anything you won’t lie about? The convicted drug user support and the convicted felon support maybe?

A convicted drug user supports Harvey Latney (and Homer Johnson, Maxie Rozell, and Calvin Taylor)

No big surprise there, right?

Pamela Joan Mastropaolo (also a shoplifter extraordinaire), pled guilty to a felony charge of obtaining drugs by fraud (§ 18.2-258.1) in Henrico County Circuit Court. It was latter reduced to a misdemeanor charge of obtaining drugs by fraud.

She was still on probation from her previous shoplifting escapades however no show cause was issued in Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court for violation of probation. I’m sure that had nothing to do with the fact that the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Williams/James City County is a Democrat and Pamela Mastropaolo and her husband Michael happen to be big Democratic contributors, right?

She’s also working as Latney’s campaign manager. She’s also going around claiming to be a reporter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. According to a phone call to the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s office, she no longer works there. So, who am I to trust? The person that has pled guilty to two felonies already, or the person I talked to at the Richmond Times-Dispatch?

Also, according to Latney’s most recent campaign finance report the address given for Pamela Mastropaolo is:

1417 Brook Road
Richmond, VA 23220

That just happens to be the address for Harvey Latney’s office.

So Harvey, why do you have someone that has twice pled guilty to felonies in your office and helping on your campaign?

So Homer, are you going to stop having a convicted drug user and shoplifter hand out signs for you? Oh wait, you’re already the convicted felon choice for sheriff…

So Maxie, are you going to return that campaign contribution?

So Calvin, ditto on the campaign contribution?

Pamela Mastropaolo helping to hand out signs for Homer Johnson, Harvey Latney, and Calvin Taylor at the Frog Level Harvest Festival.

Pamela Mastropaolo (center, in the tent on the right) chatting with Maxie Rozell (right, in the tent on the right) at the Frog Level Harvest Festival.

pdficon_small

PDF of Pamela Mastropaolo’s sentencing order [social security number and date of birth redacted].

pdficon_small PDF of Harvey Latney’s most recent campaign contributions.

More fraud from Homer Johnson

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [emphasis mine]:

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

Check out the lies in a letter sent to residents of gated communities in Caroline County.

The letter goes to show you how little Homer Johnson knows about the law. To become a Special Conservator of the Peace, one must first complete Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) mandated training and then be sworn in by the locale’s circuit court. Whoever the sheriff is has nothing to do it!

And as for the support of security officers and security companies: As a former security officer, I knew that when I needed a deputy one would be available thanks to Sheriff Lippa.

And if campaign contributions are any indication, I’m not alone in that belief. Wackenhut Corporation, a private security company, donated $1,400 to Lippa’s campaign. Where are your donations from security companies, Mr. Johnson?

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 5th 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?

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.