This posting covers quite a bit this month: a Nacogdoches jailer helps inmates escape and is later arrested after the Sheriff Department confirms inmates' recorded jailhouse pay phone calls. Neighboring Cherokee County Sheriff denied his deputies monitor jailhouse pay phones in a 1995 news article designed as a smokescreen. Complete with a fictitious concerned citizen complaining about a non-existent problem with James Campbell's cell block pay phones.
Next, the FBI infiltrates the Rusk, TX High School to bust a long time teacher on child porn charges; former Alto ISD head coach Lucky Gamble arrested on domestic dispute; and local Internet forums turn political.
Lastly, the family of retired Lufkin, TX detective Allen Wallace calls Cherokee County Sheriff Department for suicide intervention - Wallace is shot dead in family cemetery.
Nacogdoches, TX:
Nacogdoches County, Texas correctional officer Hector Navejar, 24 was arrested Wednesday September 26, 2007 for helping 3 Hispanic inmates escape via an unlocked and/or malfunction door back in July. The escaping trio had led authorities on an extensive manhunt and to date 2 of the escapees have been caught leading to the arrest of 3 others in San Antonio who facilitated their run from the law. One of the escapee's sister, Laquisha Monque Tyler, 18, of Alto, TX was picked up by Cherokee County deputies for her part in helping her brother Marcuese avoid authorities.
"Authorities believe that Tyler provided her brother with transportation from Nacogdoches to Alto the morning of the escape and concealed his location from law enforcement officials."
Efforts to locate her brother Marcuese Tyler had been ongoing throughout the state. Tyler may have escaped 9 hours earlier than authorities originally believed, traveled to Alto then Jacksonville, TX, and may be in the DFW area. Marcuese Tyler was a 2002 Alto High School graduate. He was apprehended in Houston County.
Correctional Officer for the Nacogdoches County jail, Mr. Hector Navejar age 24 now faces 2nd degree felony charges and has been arraigned.
The case of the escapees is non-eventful other than the fact it sheds the light on a common Texas practice of recording all inmates calls from the pay phones in the jail. A practice Cherokee County officials deny tooth and nail, because their phone tapping goes beyond the jailhouse and out into the city streets and rural backroads. Cherokee County has also denied that it records incoming 911 calls established by DETCOG in the 1990's. A lie that has been repeated for decades, even in local newspapers.
The Nacogdoches jailer was caught because the inmates used the jailhouse phone to call Navejar and promised him illegal drugs for his cooperation in their escape. According to Officer Navejar's arrest affidavit located at:
"Jail phone recordings implicate the defendant [jailer Hector Navejar] by name and phone number. Jail phone conversation indicated the defendant was being paid off with illegal drugs. The cell phone mentioned in the call was confirmed by employee records."
Apparently the Nacogdoches Sheriff Department has no problem admitting it intercepts and records phone calls in the Nacogdoches County Jail.
click above pic for larger view
Page 1 of defendant Hector Navejar's arrest affivadivt :
Now that's reporting the news accurately. It may look bad to Nacogdoches County, but the sheriff is openly trying to solve the problems in the jailhouse. He isn't covering them up with lies, misdirection and fictitious "concerned citizens." The bad apples are weeded out instead of promoted.
Cherokee County's Sheriff James Campbell in a 1995 Cherokeean article, stated "The law prohibits my deputies to listen in (on phone conversations)" on the jailhouse pay phone. Even if one is allegedly making harassing collect calls out their cell blocks. But in 2007 it's OK for the Nacogdoches County jail to record the inmates' conversations?
From the Rusk, TX Cherokeean June 1, 1995 p. 1
Did Joe Evans, the former Nacogdoches County sheriff and current Cherokee County District Attorney's Investigator monitor the jailhouse pay phones under his tenure in Nacogdoches, Texas? You bet. But the neighboring Cherokee County sheriff and his deputies would not listen in on anybody's personal or business calls, even his own inmate's they're charged with monitoring? Must be that dang ol' Patriot Act, retroactively. Apparently East Texas Sheriff Departments do listen in and record all incoming and outgoing calls from their jails. Why the misdirection in Cherokee County, Texas?
Is it supposed to be a secret that phone calls between defendants in Cherokee County jail and their respective attorney/client conference calls are recorded? Then sent over to the District Attorney's office for further scrutiny? Countless county jails around the country admit to recording inmates phone calls and use the calls to prosecute contraband traffickers. Cherokee County Texas' private conversation recording obviously goes beyond the jailhouse and out into the neighborhood. And they get a kick out of publishing fictitious "concerned citizen" stories when they are smoke screening the illegal activity of their law enforcement.
Rusk, TX:
For the 3rd time this year, another Cherokee County Texas schoolteacher is under FBI investigation on child pornography and indecency charges as reported by the online Rusk Cherokeean. The longtime Rusk High School teacher's name is being withheld by the local paper. His name is Harold "Bo" Scallon, Rusk High School drama teacher.
veteran Rusk ISD teacher Harold "Bo" Scallon
The Tyler Paper online reports that the first out of the three, a 34 year-old Rusk geography teacher named Brian Basee pled guilty to an improper relationship between a "teacher and student." A Cherokee County grand jury indicted Basee last March for indecency with a minor. He will receive 3 years incarceration according to the Jacksonville Progress. Also according to the Cherokeean article, a 23 year-old youth minister from Jacksonville, TX that was sentenced to 4 years for having over 600 child porn pictures stored on his computer. This is not just a male teacher problem in Cherokee County, TX.
Bryan Edward Basse, Rusk, TX registered sex offender
Alto TX:
In 2005, Shelley Allen a 35 year-old Alto, TX teacher's aide was arrested for indecency with a student and sexual assault. Her charges were reduced to providing alcohol to a minor.
In 2005, Shelley Allen a 35 year-old Alto, TX teacher's aide was arrested for indecency with a student and sexual assault. Her charges were reduced to providing alcohol to a minor.
Because she is a member of the Allen family of Alto and Rusk, TX, local reporting never made it past her arrest. She was out on $30,000 bond. Her story dropped off the map quicker than the beating of Alto, TX resident John Brown by Cherokee County law enforcement.
Former Alto, TX high school football coach Drennan "Lucky" Gamble was arrested twice last week for domestic violence and DWI. Waco and Killeen TX authorities formed a police barricade around Gamble's home in Falls County, TX after police were alerted to a domestic dispute.
Coach Lucky Gamble was Alto ISD's head coach and athletics director from 1993 to 2000.
He lead the Alto Yellowjackets to several high school football victories during his tenure. He is currently an assistant football coach at Chilton High School in Falls County (between Waco and Temple). Gamble had a previous assault charge after beating his first wife back in 2003.
"Lucky" Gamble, Alto ISD athletic director 1993-2000
Smith County political smarts vs. Cherokee County paid shit smearing campaigns
To the north and towards civilization, Smith County Commissioners Court meetings are now posted on YouTube by County Judge Joel Baker. Some commissioners question the postings, in fear that internet users "can alter the broadcasts" or "edit" the recordings. At least the debate is for an open forum where the public can view the court meetings. Instead of behind closed doors as in Cherokee County Commissioners' Court.
To the north and towards civilization, Smith County Commissioners Court meetings are now posted on YouTube by County Judge Joel Baker. Some commissioners question the postings, in fear that internet users "can alter the broadcasts" or "edit" the recordings. At least the debate is for an open forum where the public can view the court meetings. Instead of behind closed doors as in Cherokee County Commissioners' Court.
The Cherokee County old bitty network is always in full propaganda mode, trying to distract the local population with on-going smear campaigns. However they are not as Internet savvy as the younger population who has access to this and other blogs. A lesson for those old worn out hags who do random postings 'under the radar' and 'under the covers' in local Internet forums. They could wind up like this guy: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/17/internet.death.ap/index.html?eref=ib_technology
Again, the lesson is limit your internet access and time on the computer. Its called "Internet addiction." You people will die of exhaustion trying to cover up the illegal activity going on in your hometown Cherokee County, Texas. The Bill of Rights or Freedom of Speech has always been under attack in backwoods East Texas. The latest tactic is to have the local internet political forums shut down entirely by posting profanity and slander of non-news related subjects, under the guise of anonymity.
Then they themselves cry foul and try to have the entire discussion board shut down. Local officials do not want any open forum where people can discuss Cherokee County, Texas corruption; they want to control the subject matter. Since they can't control public opinion on the internet, they are attempting to have it terminated internally by posting personal attacks at random chatroom members. Very Nazi-esque.
Note to subscribers: if you come across postings that do not agree with the Internet etiquette requirements listed in the service agreement, then you have found your East Texan saboteur trying to shut the public site down completely. It is the Cherokee County old wives club given the charge of shutting these Free Speech sites down. For solidarity's sake they often attack one another under pseudonyms to create diversions of the ongoing criminal activity in Cherokee County, Texas. Their weapon of choice is venomous vitriolic personal attacks to mask the stench of corruption. Don't be fooled. A quick check of their ISP address will give them away. Try this free online service from Geobytes, Inc.: http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm
In more intelligent circles, the Tyler/Smith County League of Women Voters will be hosting a panel of judicial experts Tuesday September 25, 2007.
The topic will be "The Texas Judiciary: Is Justice for Sale?" Specific examples should include Cherokee County's district court employees backing of law enforcement guilty of rape, murder and drug dealing.
And for the unsullied and idealistic district court interns, fresh faced and out of law school : it will look better to have Church's Chicken on your resume' than Cherokee County.
The East Texas child porn epidemic.
Why the constant barrage of reports of child pornography coming from the Bible Belt in greater East Texas, eg. the Nacogdoches county jailers, Rusk school teachers, Rusk County deputies etc. ? This is highlighted in a Lufkin News article dated August 31, 2007 "Rusk County deputy pleaded guilty to having child porn."
Henderson, TX cop Kenneth Martin, age 36, fired in April after a fellow officer found the images on Martin's police cruiser computer. US District Judge Michael Schneider sentenced the former deputy to 78 months in federal prison on Tuesday September 18, 2007. Why is child porn the choice for so many East Texas law enforcement personnel? Is it a dangerous combination of boredom and the need to break the law?
Certainly the majority of these law enforcement officials and educators are not pedophiles. The answer: they are gathering a library of the most illegal thing they can find, including stockpiling illicit drugs in order to plant on and/or frame their colleagues when the time arises. Sexual blackmail has been the mainstay of Cherokee County politics for decades. Some of the dumber ones are getting caught. They aren't doing it for their own gratification---they are being instructed to. And sometimes they are probably successful in framing each other. Others collect the sordid images because they enjoy violating the law, plain and simple.
The thrill of breaking the law is too tempting and easy to do for the caliber of people hired in law enforcement in these areas. The rest of them are child predators and rapists that need castration, chemical or otherwise. This criminal activity will continue in Cherokee County Texas because the established elected officials will continue theirs. Cherokee County police officers like Larry Pugh certainly saw his bosses illegally tape record suspect's phone conversations and had the district court back him during his brutal actions during the Tomato Bowl riot of 2004. Even saw his bosses put a man on trial for "interfering" and "resisting" while Pugh kicked his teeth in. So he felt emboldened to go out and rape and dispose of his complainants.
Constable Randy Thompson saw innocent poor people get framed and their property seized, so he decided to crank up a meth lab to get more locals addicted. Chester Kennedy Police Chief of Troup, TX had the best of both worlds being on the dividing line of Cherokee and Smith County. He could steal evidence from both counties and never report it. Hell, the Dogwood Trails Narcotic Task Force got away with it for years.
If you can't make a phone call to revoke the bail of a violent drug addict locked up in the Rusk State Hospital, a la' Michael Harris in 2003, before he signs out and murders his wife, then there is no telling what you can get away with. Because the economy is so rotten in Cherokee County, a government job is one of the most coveted, and these good Christian souls will say and do anything to keep their mortgage payments. They will even resort to investing in child pornography, in order to extort each other.
The Cherokeean front page article for Sept. 26, 2007 titled "TDCJ overtime boosts economy" tells the story why the economy is so poor for Cherokee County. The only viable source of income for the region is the Skyview and Hodges Unit and the article brags on the pittance (of less than $29,000 annually) a jailer makes. If correctional officers are the largest source of revenue for the area, it is easy to understand why these people resort to blackmail via drugs and pornography. The target is the majority of well intentioned law enforcement that uphold the letter of law and don't deal in drugs. Other targets are unsuspecting citizens caught up in an irate and egomaniacal officer's debauchery or boredom. The usual suspects are the ones who seek out the most attention with the most mundane and mediocre "drug busts" or acts of unsubstantiated heroism.
With so much time on their hands, making barely enough salary to feed themselves, they begin delving into criminal acts to ease their boredom and frustration, i.e. tapping phones, child porn, doing drugs, cheating on their spouses, etc. etc.
Or in the case of Jacksonville, TX patrolman Larry Pugh, they resort to targeting and raping defenseless women to sate their small town power trips.
Footnote: Larry Pugh pleaded guilty to falsifying his guilty plea, tacking on a few more years to his 12 federal years for rape and retaliation.
Federal prisoner and ex-Jacksonville, TX police officer Larry Pugh
Even though local media outlets do not immediately report the overtly corrupt behavior of the Cherokee County criminal justice system, some other not so distant newspapers will.
For instance, the report of local retired Lufkin detective Allen Lee "Stinger" Wallace, age 50, being gunned down in a "suicide"[sic] "altercation." Wallace was shot in the head Monday September 17, 2007 over his mother grave in a cemetery on CR 2218 outside Rusk, TX. Cherokee County sheriff deputies were called to the secluded graveyard, the article begins:
Wallace drew his weapon at the cemetery, and according to Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell, shots were fired. Allen Wallace, a 23 year veteran of the Lufkin Police Department was killed at the scene by Campbell's deputies. Sheriff Campbell comments he doesn't know "who fired first," and has called the Texas Rangers to "investigate." Cherokee County doesn't know "who fired first" but they do know the retired ex-detective was "suicidal."
Maybe the gentleman was just having an emotional visit to his family's cemetery plots. Nonetheless, this article didn't make it to local Cherokee County media outlets the day it occurred, even though it happened on their doorsteps. If it looks bad, then don't print it.
The Lufkin Daily News reported the killing on September 18, 2007:
This article mistakenly repeats the nonsense of issuing an "autopsy" on Wallace to determine "who fired first." That would be an issue for forensics to solve during the inquest; nonexistent forensics and no witnesses.With talking points freshly honed for public consumption, the Daily Progress reports on the shooting in their September 19, 2007 issue ---minus the proper day the incident took place.
The article begins the Sheriff Department's "welfare concern" [sic] "began at approximately 1:50 PM..." Forget the fact the killing took place on Monday Sept. 17, not Wed Sept. 19. Apparently there are no courses in suicide prevention offered to Cherokee County, Texas recruits. The Cherokeean Herald online reports the failed intervention after the Wallace family supposedly called Cherokee County in fear Allen Wallace was going to kill himself.
Local Cherokee County media outlets never mentioned another police brutality claim that occurred in October 2006, the alleged excessive force of former Cherokee County Deputy Keith Gayle. Deputy Gayle arrested Kevin Yates in November 2004 for public intoxication and resisting arrest; Yates claimed he was roughed up unnecessarily during the domestic dispute call. Yates filed a civil rights lawsuit that was heard in Tyler's US Magistrate district, naming Cherokee County, Deputy Gayle and Deputy Sargent Jamie Beene as co-Defendants.
Mr. Yates lost his federal suit of $200,000 in damages and is serving a 3 year prison term on a failure to appear sentence before Cherokee County's charges for the dispute incident were dismissed. Deputy Sgt. J. Beene had been a co-Defendant in the recent beating of Alto, TX resident John Brown, and too won his excessive force civil trial after a brutality "investigation"
by the Texas Rangers.
Now let's look retrospectively at more recent ARTICLES OF DIS-INFORMATION:
http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_006082510.html from the Jacksonville Daily Progress January 6, 2006:
regarding the "resignation" of Cherokee County Constable and bailiff Randall Thompson during his Federal indictment for selling meth to an undercover US agent. Ostensibly Thompson was feeling the pressure to resign for not showing up to work for over a month - he was sitting in a federal holding block not able to make his bail. The misdirection is that bailiff Randall Thompson was not participating in his district court duties prior to his indictment. Thompson was an officer of the 369th District court, though several accounts contend he did not serve as bailiff since June 23, 2005 http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_007151417.html (article dated January 7, 2006).
369th District Court documents tell another story; Thompson was an active participant in courthouse security and coordination. He disappeared for 6 weeks after being arrested by the Dept. of Justice. Another misleading article dated January 11, 2007 again states Thompson was shirking his constable and bailiff duties http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/archivesearch/local_story_011111403.html
It is unlikely the Cherokee County district court was unaware of Randall Thompson's incarceration and indictment from the US DOJ press release dated January 12, 2006.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txe/news_release/news/thompson_moore.pdf
It appears ignorance was being feigned about Thompson's whereabouts AND the fact that he was an active participant in 369th District Court activities and only abandoned his duties after his arrest. Thompson was sentenced to 10 years federal prison for possession and distribution of a controlled substance. His initial arrest was not reported by Cherokee County media outlets.
The fact is Randall Thompson was not a drug addict. Thompson job was to make crystal meth for sale and distribution by Cherokee County law enforcement in order to inflate the county's drug arrest rate.
A' la the now defunct Dogwood Narcotics Trail Psuedo- Task Force in Palestine, TX, also part of the 369th District Court. This in turn would guarantee more federal funding to Cherokee County, TX.
Last year's articles were designed to make the public believe that Constable Thompson was not working for the district court since June of 2005.
More recently, the East Texas media has tried to put a pretty bow on and close the door on the Larry Pugh rape and retaliation case. They are aware that several of Pugh's federal witnesses have disappeared and one key witnesses' decomposed body was discovered in the Angelina Forest after ex-officer Pugh's 12 year sentencing. Even the Tyler Paper paints a unsympathetic picture of Pugh's rape victims as homeless drug addicts, wandering the alleyways and cemeteries of Jacksonville, TX.
Source: http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20070910/NEWS01/709090330
The article goes on to cite the investigation of Pugh by the Cherokee County District Attorney's office, but never asks "Why wasn't Larry Pugh arrested by Cherokee County?" if all these allegations Joe Evans states he investigated were pouring in? Joe Evans states he checked into 30 other complaints in the county. Then he decided to contact the FBI when he had a grand epiphany?
No sir, Larry Pugh's last victim -the recipient of a $300,000 settlement against Larry Pugh (in care of the city of Jacksonville, TX is the one who contacted the FBI after her complaints fell on deaf ears. After it all, Cherokee County District Attorney Elmer Beckworth gathered his 12 loyal grand jurors, indicted Pugh and offered him 12 years concurrent state time for screwing an "inmate." No mention or investigation required for the multiple late night traffic stops and sexual assaults Larry Pugh conducted for Cherokee County's 'Driving While Female ' crackdown. After Larry Pugh was indicted and sentenced, then Pugh's drug arrests were dismissed. Cherokee County continued to prosecute Larry Pugh's arrests during the time he was out on federal bond and continuing to stalk his complainants.
And of course the Jacksonville and Rusk newspaper would never divulge the county resident's name: Evelyn Lewis. Because of female resident Cherokee County woman with a home, a job and a stable household might impact decorated patrolman Larry Pugh's reputation. As Elmer Beckworth later told the Tyler Paper "the possibility of planting drugs was higher (with Pugh) than any other officer, " he said.
To win the trust of the Cherokee County, Texas taxpayer, they are to believe that a Constable did not show up for work for months for his bailiff duties and was terminated the day before he was indicted on federal drug charges. Of course Constable Randy Thompson still got his paycheck for the Rusk, TX Skyview Unit where he also worked as a correctional officer; he had a perfect attendance record up at Skyview. But he never coordinated any case loads in the 369th District Court;no absolutely not...he was nowhere to be found?
Meanwhile, Jacksonville, TX police officer Larry Pugh was pulling women over and raping them on the side of the road. Women whose complaints were not followed up on after reporting them to the local Rape Crisis Center and district attorney's office. Not until the FBI got involved and made them 'investigate' Larry Pugh. But these women were just homeless drug addicts that wandered off into the Angelina Forest and never were seen again, according to local newspapers.
And that is going to win your trust back?
