Taser Death + Myspace = Another Myspace Investigation Post

I gotta say, the law enforcement in the county I live and work in use the old Taser quite a bit. I think for the amount of times it's used (they keep stats) there seem to be too many resulting deaths.

I realize there are many possible issues that are not always taken into account (drugs and prior medical condition of the individual being tased) when people are screaming at the cops to stop a certain technique that always seems to cause more harm than good but this is something that just blows my mind. I can't understand why we citizen's continue to allow shit like this to go on.

The reason I bring this up is because I came across this news story while zipping through my noticias and coffee this morning:

Police Stun Gun Kills Teen With Bible

Oct 31 8:42 AM US/Eastern

A teenager carrying a bible and shouting "I want Jesus" was shot twice with a police stun gun and later died at a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.

In a statement obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, police in Jerseyville, about 40 miles north of St. Louis, said 17-year-old Roger Holyfield would not acknowledge officers who approached him and he continued yelling, "I want Jesus."

Police tried to calm the teen, but Holyfield became combative, according to the statement. Officers fired the stun gun at him after he ignored their warnings, then fired again when he continued struggling, police said.

Holyfield was flown to St. Louis' Cardinal Glennon Hospital after the confrontation Saturday; he died there Sunday, police said.

An autopsy was planned for Tuesday.

The statement expressed sympathy to Holyfield's family but said city and police officials would not discuss the matter further.

It's a short read but towards the end, the news brief says this:

The rise in deaths accompanies a marked increase in the number of U.S. law enforcement agencies employing devices made by Taser International Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. About 1,000 of the nation's 18,000 police agencies used Tasers in 2001; more than 7,000 departments had them last year, according to a government study.

Ummm...Is anyone else paying attention to this?

I've also see the resulting injuries from the Taser on client's and it is not a pretty thing...especially when the little pronged metallic barbs attach themselves to someone's face. Yeah. Not good.

The Myspace Connection

One of Roger Holyfield's friends, Chut Up! posted this in her blog about him, the incident, and the aftermath:

Sunday, October 29, 2006
Tased

Current mood: irate

Today was a bad day.I found out this morning that something horrible happened to one of my close friends. Someone who was practically my brother.

Let me give you some background info: he's bipolar, been in and out of juvy/jail/mental institutions for years, but he's also a good kid. He's just got a mental problem. So he has a record and is immediately discriminated. People are biased against him.

Last night sometime, he was sitting on the corner by walgreens, clutching his bible and screaming for jesus. A cop pulled up and asked what was wrong, after he refused to answer for a while the cop tased him. The kid then started screaming more and obviously freaked out a bit. The cop continued to tase him. More cops arrived due to a call for backup and the fact that 4 witnesses freaked at the constant tasing and called the police thinking it would help. It didn't. Approximately 5 tasers total were shot at the kid and then voltage was repeatedly sent through his body. Even after they had gotten him handcuffed.

The kid went into cardiac arrest. That means your heart shuts down. For nearly an hour he was legally dead. He was revived and now has permanent brain damage. Last I heard it wasn't declared so, but all the doctors were positive that he was Brain Dead, which means your brain is, well, dead and your body is still living...for now.

He was going to be baptised tomorrow.

The police in Jerseyville killed a kid who did nothing wrong, except for to scream for jesus to save him.We don't know which cops did it, which cop started it...but we will find out. And they WILL be punished. And if there is a hell, they will burn in it.

Read the comments at the end of the post. It's sad and of course nothing is confirmed but five taser's shot at the kid is a bit more than what was reported in the news brief.

I'm also very curious to find out whats going to happen to the cops involved.

More later...

Getting It On, Like Donkey Kong!

Alleged Sex in bathroom stalls is no longer reserved to just Cheerleaders anymore...We can now include District Attorneys!

A Thurston County senior deputy prosecuting attorney was arrested and ejected from Qwest Field during Sunday's Seahawks game when King County sheriff's deputies found him in a stall in a women's bathroom.

Sheriff's deputies went to the women's bathroom after getting a report from Qwest employees that two people were having sex in a stall, King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said. When the two deputies approached the stall, they found a man and a woman, but they were not having sex at that time, Urquhart said. The man, who identified himself as a prosecuting attorney, did not cooperate with the deputies, Urquhart said.

"He appeared to have been drinking and was very argumentative with the deputies," Urquhart said.

William J. Halstead was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and obstructing a law enforcement officer. He was not taken into custody but was ejected from the stadium, Urquhart said.

An allegedly drunk DA caught in the women's bathroom of Qwest Field Argumentative? You don't say?! This is my favorite part of the story, where the DA's attorney explains Halstead's actions:

...the attorney "says he was going to the bathroom" and never engaged in a sex act with the woman, a paralegal who has worked for Holm's office for about eight years.

This is the perfect story to end my week. Thank you Mr.Walstead, we're looking forward to more shennanigan's from you in the near future.

(Thanks to Arbitrary & Capricious for pointing out this gem)

Complete F-ing Dread

Have any of you out there ever felt like you've dropped the ball big time?

I do. Right now.

I have a big 288 trial coming up next week and I've lost the main witness on the case.

We were set to go to trial in March of this year but for some reason or another, the case has bumped and helped along with continuances and new motions until BOOM! We're set for trial next week.

I had been writing our MAIN witness letters just to keep in touch with her and let her know what is happening (no, she doesn't have a phone). She lives too far away to just check on her and no, she was never the friendliest witness.

The first time I subbed her, she blew up at me big time. I have 4 kids to take care of I'm not going to go all the way to hell (my county). Are you going to watch my kids!? How am I going to get out there? I don't have a car! You get the idea.

I finally got her calmed down and in court only to have the trial continued (soooo frickin irritating). Sooo, I wrote her letters. Letters that have never been returned OR responded to. Letters that I wrote to keep her in the loop.

Fast forward to the last few weeks.

It turns out my witness has moved out of state.

F*ck.

My job this week is to find out which hotel she is staying at and serve her.

Double F*ck.

There are over 100 hotels and Motels in the city she is supposedly staying in temporarily.

You get the idea.

Thanks to the current renter of her home that my witness STILL owns, there is a slight chance that she has come back into town with her husband and is staying in a hotel somewhere locally with her kids. I have the current renter helping me because Renter is pissed off at my witness. Apparently my witness thinks it's okay to say to her Renter, Ummm, we're coming back into town for a while and you need to move out the house...tomorrow.

Yeah, good stuff.

I'm either going to be a hero and track this lady down or I'll be the sole person responsible for having out INNOCENT client sent to prison and registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life. I'll let you know how the search turns out in the next couple of days.

Our Needs Must Be Fullfilled

I want everyone about to read this post to take off your Public Defender Investigator and Deputy Public Defender caps for juuust a second (if you happen to read this blog and you wear neither of these hats, then please just take off whatever you're wearing...oh, and thanks for reading!).

Okay.

Hat's off?

Good.

Now, just look at yourself. Or better yet, have someone else look at you and force them to tell you exactly what they see. Tell them to be honest. Tell them that for a few minutes they can be as truthful and candid in their words as ever and there will be no repercussions.

None.

I'm dead serious.

What? You don't have someone to look at you? Okay, then I'll do your assessment in their place:
Look at you. Pathetic. Without that fancy job title hat of yours, you're just a plain old human being (not that there is anything wrong with that) with noooo high brow job title that you can lord over others to make you feel high and mighty.

You're just a simple, warm-blooded human being, with weird eyesbrows that serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever. BUT, you're a simple human that is chock full of a complicated multitude of emotions and needs.

Yes, I'm talking bout human needs folks...human needs.

I need to turn up the Air Conditioner! I need to smoke a cigarette! I need a glass of water! I need a glass of Tequila! I need to have kids! I need to get laid! I need to get rid of my kids! I need a girlfriend! I need to breathe!

Well Boo Friggin Hoo people! You and your damned needs. I need, I want..the truth is you don't need a g*d-damned thing!

Except for this.

One.

Thing.

Behold, the greatest invention ever created by mortal man to assist in fulfilling our most basic need of all...the need to stifle our hunger: The Titanium Spork.

I can't believe that it's possible that I've made it to my very early 30's only to realize that I've been missing something in my life the entire time! I could have an almost indestructible eating utensil that can also double as a shovel AND concealable hand-to-hand weapon.

From Thinkgeek.com:

The Spork of the Gods

Every mythic hero normally has an equally mythic weapon. Zeus had his thunderbolts. Thor had his hammer, Mjolnir. King Arthur had his Excalibur. Frodo and Bilbo had their Sting. Rhydderch Hael had his Dyrnwyn. King Kong had his bananas…you get the idea. It's time for you to join the ranks of the heroes and heroines of lore as you weld your own legendary weapon in your battle against a very powerful foe: hunger.

The Titanium Spork is ready for the challenge. Titanium is known for its great strength, corrosion resistance, and light weight, which makes this spork a valuable asset around feeding time. Imagine how much more food you could shovel in at your local buffet if you didn't have to worry about the strain of picking up a heavy fork or spoon. Your food consumption can become the stuff of legends. Even just holding the Titanium Spork in your hand, you can feel its power. It is perhaps the greatest gastronomic invention since lickable wallpaper. Hunger, beware - your end is near!

Yes...Hunger beware indeed, indeed.

MITIGATION via MYSPACE - Follow-Up

If you read my last post all the way through (I know, I know. It was looong...I'm sorry), it appears (thanks to an anonymous commenter) that accused killer, Shawn Bentler's Ex-Girlfriend, KAYLA H. has updated her blog regarding Shawn. Here it is in it's entirety (sorry, she doesn't use the Enter key for paragraphs):

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Current mood: shocked

Shawn--

We both know when things are shit, I decide to write you a letter about it, but this is by far worse than all the others. SHAWN, I just want to know WHY. Please help me understand what was going through your head when you did this. I promise I won't question your motives, I just have to know there was a fight, a disaggreement, SOMETHING to set you off. I don't get it! You never got that pissed. We fought ALL THE TIME, and I don;t think you would have ever done that to me. What could they have done to make you so mad?! I know your parents were greatly disappointed in you about some of the stupid shit you did, but it was just because they cared, so how could you do something like this to them? Everytime you were sick, your mom would come to Quincy and take you home and take care of you, and God knows how much money they put up to keep you out of trouble. They just wanted to help you Shawn, and to keep you from making the mistakes you constantly seemed to repeat. We all did. And your sisters...what the fuck could they have done to you? Those girls loved you unconditionally and you know it. When you were in the hospital for appendicitis, they were all so worried about you. I remember sitting in the hospital with your mom while you were sleeping and the girls called every ten minutes. I am just racking my brain as to why you would do this to people that cared about you so much. And Cloe, how could you do this to your baby? When all the other kids talk about their daddies, what will she say? Your mom and sisters adored that little girl and were so close to her, think about how this will affect her. Her grandma and aunts are gone. No more Dora toys from Grandma Bentler. How could you do that to her? How could you take them away from her? You know that I know what it is like to feel so desparate that you would just feel like
there was nothing left, so why didn't you just swallow your pride one time and call me for help? I told you in that one letter you said you used to read everyday when we broke up that I would never give up on you and I meant it. I just need some answers so I can ease my mind just a little bit. My brain is just so FULL thinking about this. You know i would have talked to you if you needed it. How many times have you called my phone and I completely avoided your call? Never! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST CALL SOMEONE!!! This just isn't you Shawn, you were manipulative, a liar, and a cheat and I always knew you were capable of a lot of hurtful things but never this..why did you have to go and make everyone right?! Everyone said I couldn't trust you, Shawn, and you know that, and it hurt you so much that I believed them. THEY WERE RIGHT! I need some answers..I HAVE to have some answers...

Kayla

Any Armchair Psychologists out there care to analyze Kayla's latestl entry? Just curious what your thoughts are. Sorry to anyone that has emailed me lately but I've been out of state and I won't be back until 10/23. So this post will have to be it until then.

Über Post: MITIGATION Via MYSPACE

My Myspace Investigation examples...Some of you are getting tired of them, saying I should focus more on my own investigation stories and personal life. I kind of agree with you (my sitemeter definitely agrees with you), so please just know that I'm toooootally hearing you.

I will go back to my roots, I promise...just not today.

I've been making a point of pulling stories from national newspaper headlines and showing how a good majority of the players involved have access to and are frequent participants in Social Networking sites like Myspace (I won’t go through the whole list, as Myspace is currently the biggest) to help you in an area that we, as Criminal Defense Investigator's really need to focus on...utilizing social networking sites PRODUCTIVELY in our investigations.

In the past when doing background investigations or mitigation type work on cases, we were forced to start from scratch and most of the initial grunt work was done on the ground, going to family members and friends. This is, and in my eyes always will be the best way to do most investigations: In person and in the field.

With sites like Myspace, we are given access to entire families and contacts that we might never have in real life or EVEN KNEW EXISTED if we had just stuck to punding the pavement!

In this weeks example, I'm going to briefly introduce you to the story of a young, 22 year-old Iowan that is alleged to have killed his entire family, Father, Mother, and three sisters over the past weekend. I’m also including the Myspace page of one of his sisters (Sheena).

THE CASE OF SHAWN BENTLER
Henry C. Jackson (AP Reporter) writes in the Washington Post:

BONAPARTE, Iowa -- Shayne Bentler told the 911 dispatcher her brother was "going to do something." Next came the sound of a gunshot and someone yelling, "Shawn, no!"

Then the line went dead.

A day after 14-year-old Shayne and four other family members were gunned down in their southeastern Iowa home, 22-year-old Shawn Bentler was charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents and three teenage sisters...

...The sheriff's office said it received the 911 call from Shayne Bentler at 3:38 a.m. Details of the call were included in sheriff's documents. Authorities said they received a second 911 call at the same time from Sandra Bentler's cell phone.

That call went unanswered.

Shawn Bentler was arrested Saturday in Quincy, Ill., about 60 miles from the family's home, on an unrelated charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the Adams County sheriff's office.

The Bentlers were an affluent family that owned an elevator and lumber company that served most of southeast Iowa.

Okay. In my preliminary searches I was unable to come up with any pages for Shawn Bentler. If I had more time, I'd be able to do a more thorough search, but here is the Myspace page belonging to that of his deceased sister, Sheena Bentler:

Sheena talk's about the normal teenage girl stuff on her page and it seems that she only has a couple of comments she has made on friends pages. So it’s hard to get a good read on her, especially since she doesn't provide a whole lot of information about herself.

It's ironic that enjoys Action, Horror, Suspense (and lots of good fights) in Movies and Murder Mysteries and suspense in Books…considering the death of her and her family could become a bit a mystery itself.

As an investigator, I would see that I now have a (short) list of friends that I may never have heard about, had I limited myself to just talking to the state's witnesses. The friends might be able to shed additional light on Sheena's relationship with her brother and also provide possibly useful insight into Shawn.

The real nitty gritty comes from the myspace page of an ex-girlfriend who writes some interesting blog posts about her relationship with Shawn.

Meet Kayla H., a twenty year-old, pretty little bleached blonde from Illinois.

It is hard to tell from her blog posts but she appears to have started dating Shawn Between February 13, 2005 and May 1, 2006.

There are really only two posts talking about Shawn, the first being:

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Title: doo waa diddy, diddy dum, diddy doo...
Current mood: anxious

Shawn FINALLY got a job!! A good one at that!!! He is selling cars now at shottenkirk!! Yaaay!!! Now he can start paying some of MY bills. But now..:(. I am jobless, broke, and really missing him. It is 9 in the morning and I am sitting at his house ALONE. Today was his first day of training. I took him to work and felt like a mom taking her little kid to her first day of school. I was kinda sad *tear*. Ohh well, I am very happy for him, for us, and I hope now he can stop being so depressed and be a lil nicer to me. Not that he is bad..he has just been a lil "down in the dumps", and has been TAKING IT OUT ON ME!! I'm ready to stop FIGHTING. This blog was so pointless. I need a friggin' LIFE!

This is actually a little sad, but the important part is that Kayla noticed that Shawn was depressed and, Down in the dumps. Obviously Kayla will be a fantastic source of what Shawn was like on a day to day basis and also give us some ground to work with into his state of mind.

Her next post is more of the same:

Monday, May 01, 2006

Title: Who knows what will happen..
Current mood: curious

I am so FRUSTRATED!!! I am so sad. I am so happy. I am so CONFUSED!!! Things haven't been going well with Shawn at ALL lately, and I have been DEVASTATED. We broke up and I thought I was going to die. We got back together, and I was so happy..and now things are not well again..and the sad thing is, I dunno if I care!! EEEK :( I am just sick of doing 'this' with him. He has been avoiding me, and won't answer any of my calls. OK, I am to the point that if this is how it is going to be, I just want him to tell me right now so I can start moving on. I am so over all this crap. I love him, but why?? What the fuck is there to love?? I saw a cute boooy at the show Sat. night. And, he is IN A BAND!! ACK!! Not that again!! Ohh well, he is cute :D:D.
Hmm..a beautiful distraction maybe??

More insight into Shawn? Maybe, maybe not, You can read the rest of her blog to find out whats going on in that 20 going on 12 year-old head of hers.

It seems that there is always the inevitable ex-girlfriend that comes out of the woodwork to say that she remembered "Johnny" wanting to off his entire family when they were dating because his kid brother forgot to put the ice-cream back in the freezer. Sometimes these folks are trying to help and sometimes they just want the spotlight on them. If for some reason Kayla turns into that ex, then you might find that her Myspace page can also be used to show that she was a chick that liked to drink a lot…and I do mean a lot and if she is going to be considered a witness ALL factors about her background need to be considered.

I could go further but I don't want to bore everyone to death. This is really just the tip of the iceberg on this case and maybe even your own! We PDI's and private CDI's need to start getting creative on where we start looking for info because lord knows we don't have the time, money, and all around general resources of the District Attorney and every Law Enforcement agency in the nation.
We need to put our heads together whenever we can, and share information like this in the hopes that the new tools we learn to use can help give our client's the best representation possible.

That being said, I'm also going to use this space to say you might want to think about joining The Public Defender Investigator Listserv of the user group of any other defense investigator related site...there are a lot of them out there and its a good place to meet other investigator's to share questions and ideas!

Ciao for now, I promise to stop writing about Myspace Investigations soon.

PD BLOG GUIDE

Leave it to Greg from PD STUFF (The news blog of the Public Defender Investigator Network) to put together a very nice little Public Defender Blog Guide aptly titled: PD Blog Guide

Greg Writes:

I regularly check the blogs of public defenders, but mostly just to quickly scan their recent content before moving on. I never really stop to consider the big question: What do public defenders blog about?

Below is a rundown of all of the public defender blogs of which I am aware (they're all marked with asterisks in the sidebar under "PD & Law Blogs").

Check out the list and descriptions here. I myself had my love life AND Myspace Investigation obsession brought up in the description on my blawg and quite honestly, after reading about each site in the guide, I agreed with Greg on each and every description...well, almost. I didn't think he would take into consideration that I wished to be addressed as, Don Juan Sancho...you know, in reference to the love life.

Nevermind.

Go, Now, Read it!

Missing College Girl's Body Found...So Is Her Myspace Page

Earlier this week I read about college student, Michelle Gardner-Quinn (21 years-old) from the University of Vermont. She is the student who went missing after failing to show up and meet some of her friends at a club/bar in Burlington, Vermont a week ago today.
According to a follow-up story in the Washington Post, a body tentatively identifed as Gardner-Quinn's has been found.

Burlington Police Chief Thomas Tremblay said the body was tentatively identified as that of Michelle Gardner-Quinn, 21. The body was discovered about 15 miles southeast of downtown Burlington, near a swimming hole popular among college students and residents, Tremblay said.

He said it was not yet known how Gardner-Quinn was killed or when her body might have been left at the spot. Police said they are investigating her death as an apparent kidnapping and homicide.

"We are not done yet," Tremblay said in an afternoon news conference at Burlington's City Hall. "There is still more work to be done."

It's stories like this that get me to call my sister again to tell her that it's a bad idea to talk to strangers then call my 11 year-old brother and tell him not to drink and drive. Yah, I know it has nothing to do with being abducted...I just like being the bossy older brother sometimes.

As I type this, Fox News (I'm sorry in advance) has released some information regarding the background of a "Person of Interest" the cops talked to regarding Gardner-Quinn's disappearance (It should be noted that they are a day behind the Washington Post story).

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The 36-year-old man suspected of killing a University of Vermont student last week is being described by his brother as a devoted parent of three daughters.But the former father-in-law of Brian Rooney described him as the scum of the earth.

Rooney is jail on sexual assault charges separate from the investigation into the kidnapping and death of 21-year-old Michelle Gardner-Quinn, whose body was found Friday in Richmond.

Rooney's brother Rikki Rooney of Iowa says their father abandoned their mother who had to raise six children on her own.

But Rooney's former father-in-law Roger Martin of Craftsbury says he made his daughter do things she didn't want to do and is chronically behind on child support
payments.

I would just like to point out the first and last paragraphs of this story. In the first paragraph Fox News, in their own slanted and sensational fashion made the reader believe that Rooney could be, (cue Loud Echo sound effects) THE SCUM OF THE EARTH.

How? Well, let them tell you in the closing paragraph of the story:

But Rooney's former father-in-law Roger Martin of Craftsbury says he made his daughter do things she didn't want to do and is chronically behind on child support
payments.

Sweet LORD! He made people do things they didn't want to do AND he's late on child support payments?!?! Get a rope! I'm surprised Rooney doesn't have horns and a forked tail coming out of his ass!

Maybe it's just me making a big deal out of nothing or maybe it's just that Fox News sucks.

It's probably a little of both.

So, I practiced a few very, very basic Myspace Investigation techniques and came up with Michelle's Myspace page:

Her last log-in is October 6, 2006, the day before she disappeared. There is not much as far as a blog or anything like that on the site but she does post of a few photographs of her and some friends. The photographs show a young, beautiful woman, with friends who clearly enjoyed and valued her, and who I'm certain had a long, productive life ahead of her.


Here area few photos from her Myspace page which I have yet to see in any other news stories:

Sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time has disasterous consequences. I wish accepting this crappy truth was easier to do.

I found a Myspace account for Brian Rooney which was created March 28, 2005 but it completely inactive with the last log-in dated August 24, 2006.

I post more info as I come across it.

(NOTE: This first photo is credited to the Washington Post)

Old School PD Investigator Retires

Public defender investigators are the only way to counter the police and prosecutor version of events, Larma said. He worked long hours because he and his colleagues are defending people's constitutional rights, and there's nothing more important than that, he said. -Public Defender Investigator, Jim Larma

Kern County Public Defender Investigator, Jim Larma retired this month after 32 years of fantastic public service!

Still, the three decades of fighting the good fight, sometimes against a system that seems intent on getting a conviction at the price of truth, has taken it's toll on the investigator. Larma is ready to spend some time fly-fishing, remodeling his home and
surfing.

Who is Jim Larma you ask? I realize that many people around the country reading this are saying, "Who gives a rat's ass!?" I have to tell you that if you're working as a PD Investigator (or Criminal Defense Investigator) anywhere, I can't imagine being as well respected as Mr. Larma and I can only HOPE that I can last as long as he did at the Kern County PD's Office!!!

The Bakersfield Californian did a great story on his last day at the office and you can read the entire story here. My favorite quote? It's this one:

"Do this job for two months and when someone asks you how can you represent these guilty people, how can you not?" Larma said. "How hard would you want someone to fight for you?"

I couldn't have said it better myself! Good Luck Jim!

Note:

Jim was(still is?) heavily involved with the California Defense Investigator's Association. They are having their 2006 Fall Defense Seminar in South Lake Tahoe this week on Investigating Sexual Assault Allegations...should be informative if you can make it! Jim is actually going to be one of the speakers for wrongful convictions.

True Crime Story About True Sleaze!

I haven't posted a good crime story in a while but thanks to Greg over at PD Stuff, who is always on top of all news pertaining to...well, PD related stuff, I have a new story to follow and comment on! Best of all, it's in my own backyard (almost)!

Yesterday, he posted a story about (California) San Joaquin Public Defender Keith Arthur who
reported HIMSELF to the California State Bar for threatening a witness...on the blog belonging to the witness!

Actually, its not as sinister as it sounds. The witness and blog owner is Mr. Randall Radic, an ex-priest and now convicted embezzler. Now, you have to read the news story to follow everything but stay with me people because the ride is fantastic!

Oh?

You don't want to read the background of the case?

FINE! Let me help you!

According to Record.Net:

Authorities said Radic sold the church for $525,000 to an unsuspecting Manteca couple without the knowledge of church officials. Radic used about $102,000 to buy himself a new BMW, authorities said.

They said Radic also forged documents to gain possession of a church-owned parsonage and took out equity loans on it worth more than $200,000.

First Congregational has since regained ownership of the church building. The church is still working out ownership of the parsonage in court. Radic was released from jail on his own recognizance in May.

There are some things I dislike and Snitches who snitch to get less time for themselves is at the top of the list, I also despise people in positions of power (politicians, business owners, PRIESTS!) who take advantage of their constituents, clients/employees, or CONGREGATION!).

Radic is a real piece of...something. He is also a real piece of...something, that is in the process of writing a book about being a Snitch that has supposedly been picked up by some backyard publisher. If you think i'm going to publicize his book here...you're sadly mistaken.

Okay, so you know about Radic's background, so keep sticking with me as I continue:

Snitch Radic supposedly served some of his jail time with another inmate who was in custody awaiting trial for murder. The inmate? Mr. Roy Gerald Smith who is represented by...San Joaquin Public Defender Keith Arthur.

Get it so far? Good.

In May 2006, Snitch Radic started a BLOG after he was released on his own recognizance titled,

Well, somehow our hero, Public Defender Keith Arthur, gets wind of Snitch Radic and decides to try and track down this supposed blog posting and find out what he knows about the case...but it's too late, the blog has been taken down by Snitch Radic!

According to the Record.Net
While asking for help finding Radic's old Web posting, Arthur called Radic a "freak"
and directly addressed Radic, calling him a liar and threatening: "I will take you down big time," according to court papers.

Let me just say that our hero should have come to me first! I had no problem locating Snitch
Radic's old web postings...in Google cache of course!

Here is a Query Letter to potential publishers that Snitch Radic was working on that he posted to his blog on May 20, 2006, presumably to get input from his readers (I cut off some unimportant crap from the end of the post):

Here is the latest version of my query letter. Less than zero, I know. But I don't seem to be able to discover what 'They' desire. Any words of unwisdom for the unwise?

Dear

SNITCH! A nasty word. An Old Catholic Priest, the pastor of a California church, sells his parsonage (rectory), then sells the church building itself, buys a $102,000 dollar black BMW. All this while being simultaneously married to one woman and engaged to another woman. The authorities catch-on, he is arrested, tossed into jail where he meets Roy G. Smith, twice convicted pedophile and presently being held for murder, in one of California’s highest profile cases. Roy, who exudes pure, dark evil, over the course of two months, confesses his culpability to murder. Later, Roy realizes he has divulged too much information. He warns the Priest to keep his mouth shut.

This book will exhaust its readers. It will mess them up. A kind of new Bible – SNITCH! Now true-crime shall have a container in which to wallow, a boat which, when it embarks, will traverse the major oceans. Within its holds are plots, subplots, dramas, poetry, myths, myriad cabals. The bestseller lists will feed on it for a year, or two, at least. SNITCH is magnificent in its pretentiousness. The idea of it steals my breath.

It will be enormous, an enormity, SNITCH. Through its labyrinths will perambulate singing,dancing, sexual interludes, somersaults, murder. Like an Impasse, it won’t budge. Like an esoteric prayer, a Catholic confession, a Gregorian chant or a murderer’s insouciance, it will hum a tune inside one’s bones, intoning in a kind of skeletal Linear B.There will be no replica, for the formula is arcane: composed of Platonic Aether (a Demi-urge), Soul and a theophanic whisper.

...Yada, yada, yada, you get the idea. The guy must love to read his own crap, but whatever. I haven't been able to read the comments on the May 20, 2006 post but presumably, one of the comments is from our hero, Keith Arthur who self reported himself to the bar:

From the Record.Net
Arthur said in a Sept. 27 letter to the state bar that he realized his folly, inviting an investigation into his conduct. "For reasons I cannot now fathom, I addressed the potential witness ... using language more fitting for a barroom brawl than for a judicial proceeding," Arthur wrote. "I exceeded the bounds of what an attorney should do, and I will not let it happen again."

From what I've read in the newspaper, I'm hoping that nothing bad comes out of this for Arthur from the State Bar. I don't believe he was threatening Snitch Radic in anyway possible and lord knows Snitch Radic is already benefitting greatly from the publicity.

Also...If it's true that the DA's office in San Joaquin County cut Radic a deal to testify, I have only one word for them and the quality of his testimony:

Bullshit.

In his one and only interview (with another Blogger, Dr. Blogstein...I know, I'm NOT making this shit up!), he discusses the deal he possibly has with the San Joaquin District Attorney's Office:

Dr. Blogstein: According to The Record of Stockton, CA, in exchange for these last few months of freedom, you will be helping the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office on another case. What are the details of that case and what will you be providing the DA?

SNITCH RADIC: I ask your forgiveness and understanding on this particular question. I may only say that it is a high profile case. After that oblique answer, for the safety of my loved ones, all I can add is 'no comment'.

Okay, was it worth it? Please say it was. I find this story fascinating and I'm anxiously awaiting how all this stuff affects Smith's murder case. I will update this story as I get new information.

Additonal Tidbits:

Randall Radic's Myspace Page

Missing: Moral Turpitude

By The Seat Of My Skirt

Missing since September 17, 2006

MORAL TURP, please get back to the toons soon.

A Quick Announcement

I'm certain that nobody gives a rat's ass BUT I must do this because I actually worked very hard keeping up with my Blawgers Baseball fantasy baseball team this year (Blondie over at Blonde Justice is the Commissioner...hmmm, just noticed she is feeling Unstoppable today...my curiosity is peaked) and it has paid off!

I'M THE 2006 CHAMP!!!

Thank you, that is all.

I Like My Republicans Old...And Pervy

You've all heard about the allegations against Florida Congressman Mark Foley, Right? Good for you...have you seen his Myspace page? Didn't think so, so here it is:

Yeah, it's boring because he hasn't touched it in almost a year...at least this particular page. Something tells me there might be some MORE things coming to light in the very, very, very near future.

By the way, this page was located using an EMAIL SEARCH on Myspace. Foley was using the email address: Maf54@aol.com and it is listed to this page...too bad there wasn't anything juicy.