Rusk Police Chief resigns after illegal wiretapping claims

Rusk, TX:

Isn't it against the law to give false statements to Attorney General special investigators?

Chief of Police Jamie Campbell is set to resign October 30, 2016 after the Texas Rangers conclude their local wiretapping investigation. (Source: KETK) Jamie Campbell is the son of Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell. During an open council meeting earlier this year, Campbell's lieutenant accused City Manager Mike Murray of "illegally tape recording phone conversations" and "retaliation." (Source: KETK) Upon the recommendation of outgoing Cherokee County District Attorney Rachel Patton, the Texas Rangers and Texas Attorney General's office were called in to quell the coup. Murray was quickly and quietly exonerated while his future in Rusk, Texas politics remains in limbo. (Source: Daily Progress) After leading the local media down rabbit holes, Murray's accusers have agreed to RESIGN to avoid further scrutiny of the wiretapping claims.

Why was the City Manager falsely accused of a federal crime?

When factions split inside corrupt small town government, their goal is to enlist more fingerpointing on one side than the other. More and more people become involved in the smear tactics until they are ALL criminally compromised. Cherokee County has reached a breaking point. They publicly divide the Rusk City Council meetings into groups, those they claim are pro-Police and those against. They have an ongoing desire to parade in the Texas Rangers to affirm that their side of the fence will be held unaccountable.

Isn't it against the law for local law enforcement to falsely accuse someone of a federal crime?

The families of Cherokee County law enforcement have always gotten their marching orders from Sheriff James Campbell. Somewhere in the remote past, Cherokee County's sheriffs convinced themselves that it was a moral duty for their deputies to intercept telephone calls, justifiable under penalty of perjury. Always accuse your small town rivals of the same crimes you commit every single day.

Rusk, TX wiretapping is the biggest 2016 story in the region, so why doesn't it get properly reported?

The Texas Rangers and Attorney General's office are 100% cognizant that Cherokee County law enforcement routinely violate federal wiretapping laws. They are also aware that Mike Murray has been accused of exactly what goes on in the Rusk Police and Sheriff Departments. Knowing that the accusing parties have spilled the beans and will never kiss-and-makeup (and go back to the way it used to be for 30 years), they offer clemency. Guilty parties are advised to retire and keep the taxpayers in the dark. They turn a blind eye to the warrantless interception of citizens' phone conversations to keep their own abetting hands clean.

Mike Murray is lucky that Elmer Beckworth is not the current DA; otherwise a jury of Jamie Campbell’s relatives would have been empanelled to convict on a fictitious statute. All with the blessing of complacent agencies in the region who make their living violating Civil Rights.   

As usual, accomplices in local media are more than willing to bury their previous stories and keep the public hanging after it is discovered that they all lied. According to KETK and the iterim City Manager, following an October 12, 2016 "complaint" Jamie Campbell's departure has been in the works for weeks with the grooming of his replacement.

Rusk Iterim City Manager Jim Dunaway said the interim police chief is Russell Pancoast, a retired police chief from Bee Cave, Texas. He will start duty Thursday morning. (Source: KETK)

Local newspapers and distractors from both sides continue to repeat the lie of "low morale in the police department" affecting the outcome of the "investigation" after being warned again by the Texas Attorney General's office not to publicly discuss the common Cherokee County practice of illegal wiretapping. This is why there is never a straight comment or factual representation of exactly what the hell goes on in Rusk, TX. Wiretapping is a federal offense that if properly investigated would be conducted by the US Attorney's office and not local chapters of the DPS (many of whom are former Cherokee County law enforcement). They send the fox to count the chickens.

Illegal 3rd party phone lines pay off

Private and business phone conversations are illegally intercepted and recorded by Cherokee County law enforcement, especially by those in "retirement." They have nothing better to do. They are paid to do so, some from the comfort of their own homes via the county's multitude of outlaw telephone drops. They've been spying on each other for decades. They have no intention of ever stopping because they know they will never face federal prosecution. A true audit of Cherokee County investigator funds would show how these designees supplement their income as reserve deputies after "retirement."

2 Alto, TX city hall clerks indicted for felony theft

Alto, TX: 

Two former City of Alto clerks have posted bond after being indicted for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the city. The theft of public funds allegedly began in October 1, 2010, according to court records. The duo has been charged with felony theft by a public servant. (Courtesy KETK) The Texas Rangers began investigating the missing funds back in April after the two City employees were terminated. (Jacksonville Progress). Years and years of fishing out the City coffers has deliberately gone unnoticed.

  

A Cherokee County grand jury has indicted two former City of Alto employees on felony theft by a public servant charges.

Jeanie Mignon Curtis Selman, 35, of Alto, was indicted for second-degree felony theft by a public servant when the Cherokee County grand jury met on Aug. 22.

According to the text of the indictment East Texas News obtained Tuesday, the grand jury met in the 2nd Judicial District Court. The indictment alleges that Selman stole somewhere between $30,000 and $150,000 while she was employed as a court clerk by the city of Alto. The indictment states that the theft occurred on Oct. 1, 2010.

The Cherokee County grand jury also indicted another former City of Alto employee. Whittney Nicole Arriola, 31, of Alto, was indicted on a felony theft by a public servant charge as well. The indictment states that the alleged theft occurred on Oct. 1, 2010. She is also accused of stealing between $30,000 and $150,000 from the city. Like Selman, she was working as a court clerk at the time.

Each woman had a bail amount of $10,000. Both Selman and Arriola have posted their bail amounts, and they have been released from the county jail.

Back in April, East Texas News learned that the Texas Rangers were asked to look into allegations of theft that occurred at Alto City Hall, according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Jean Dark.

Dark said the investigation was requested by the Alto Police Department.

(Source: KTRE)    

(Source: CBS 19)

Rusk City Manager accused of wiretapping; Sheriff Deputy under Texas Rangers investigation

US Attorney Malcolm Bales announces Jacksonville, TX drug raids with Dallas FBI, Sheriff James Campbell, and District Attorney Rachel Patton. (Source: April 1, 2015 Jacksonville Progress)

Like a lot of areas in backwoods East Texas, Cherokee County law enforcement illegally wiretaps and intercepts telephone conversations to conduct drug raids. For providing this information to outside agencies such as the FBI and Narcotics Task Forces, as well as assisting on drug cases for the US Attorney's office, these small towns are given carte blanche access to any and every private citizen's personal and business phone conversations. In fact, they are publicly rewarded for violating federal law like they do in 3rd World countries. They are advised to deny it, lie about it, and continue to provide as much information with as little legwork as possible. 

 

 

 

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Department records phone calls to blackmail political opponents and quash dissent among their Good Ol' Boy and Gal network. They catalog the locals' extramarital affairs within the District Attorney's office and hold each other by the balls for Grand Jury selection. And these folks have been screwing each other like rabbits since their High School days.

Who is cheating on whom these days?

With the ousting of outsider Rachel Patton for ruffling their feathers and with Elmer Beckworth returning to the District Attorney's office in a few weeks, the uninformed public can expect the Night of the Long Knives to come out in full force. When one of them is caught not towing the County line, the fingers start pointing, the accusations start to fly, and the misdirections are set up like traffic cones to mislead the public.  Following in Beckworth's footsteps they blame the other for their own actions.





Wife swapping and wiretapping? Who's spying on whom?



In an open City Council meeting on July 14, 2016 the Rusk Police Department accused longtime Rusk City Manager Mike Murray  of "illegal wiretapping."  Lt. Brad George of the Rusk PD and others also accused Murray of "retaliation against the police force." City council has requested a Texas Rangers investigation during back-to-back closed sessions. (Source: KETK) Murray, the local police department, TDC Skyview, and the Sheriff's Dept. had worked together for decades without dissent. The internal feud is said to have started after the handling of assault charges against the Volunteer Fire Chief earlier this year.  Nepotism between the Cherokee County Sheriff and his son the Rusk Chief of Police, and their extralegal means of small town social control is on full display for the local media.




Clocking in at 300 + lbs., it is highly unlikely Mr. Murray is capable of scaling telephone poles and running outlaw phone drops throughout the county to eavesdrop on local drug dealers, lonely wives, and the families of his political opponents; however Sheriff Campbell's deputies and those related to law enforcement are paid to do so.

Illegal phone tapping in Rusk City Hall

Cherokee County newspapers refuse to mention the reason for the Texas Rangers investigation into Mike Murray and the charge of ILLEGAL PHONE TAPPING that Rachel Patton has recommended to the Texas Attorney General. Instead they focus on a fictitious claim of low morale among the police department and city employees for the reason Murray has been placed on paid administrative leave. (Source: Daily Progress) It takes reports from Tyler and Longview to shine the light on the common Cherokee County practice of "illegally wiretapping phone conversations." (Source: KETK)




OK, boys and girls, let's play a game called "Follow the Logic..."

1. Teenage boys driving around on New Year's Eve amuse themselves by tossing a firecracker near a local fireworks stand operated by the Rusk Volunteer Fire Chief, Donald Lankford.
2. Pissed off Fire Chief jumps in his car and in a high speed chase into neighboring Anderson County, cuts them off several times, pulls them over and roughs up the pranksters.
3. Fire Chief is charged with misdemeanor assault in Anderson County; pranksters are let off with a warning.
4. Fire Chief continues to work at the Rusk, TX Fire Dept. while his case is aired on local television; some reports say he is suspended for 6 months, others say he is still employed. (Source: KETK)
5. A "rift develops" between the City of Rusk Police Department and the City Manager according to some accounts.
6. During an open Rusk City Council session in late July, the Rusk PD accuses City Manager of illegally tape recording phone conversations ; Rusk City Council asks the Texas Rangers to intervene and continues to hold closed door hearings to keep prying eyes out of personal vendettas.

Sources: Jacksonville Progress, KETK.

Break the Law- Keep your TCLEOSE license and your pension.


 

In yet another example of the absence of accountability, veteran Cherokee County Sheriff Deputy Donald Williams is asked to quietly retire July 29, 2016 after the Texas Rangers investigate a June 21st incident in Alto, TX. Unlike in other venues throughout the state, no explanation is given to reporters or required by the locals. In fact, they'll pretend Deputy Williams never even worked there or helped get their cousins elected. Fall housekeeping is in full swing with the Texas Rangers in town to maintain the status quo.