All through the long hot dry summer months of 2011 a twelve year old girl and twenty boys and young men and their parents and a great deal of the community of Cleveland have waited as the court dates grew near that would decide the fate of those involved in what has become known as the “Cleveland rape case”.
Regardless of what people think the outcome of this case should be, the one outcome that should be unacceptable to everyone could be the one we are all soon to hear.
If the outcome of any of the twenty is based on the “lack of evidence” or “tainted evidence”, then this case should leave a bad taste in almost everyone’s mouths. The victim will surely be dissatisfied. The victim and the accused will have been the subject of media speculation for nearly a year and the accused will have had their mug shots splattered all over the country. The taxpayers will be left wondering why money was spent on cases against anyone when there was not enough evidence to get convictions. Parents will have doled out big bucks for lawyers.
If most of 2011 has gone by and District Attorney Mike Little and County Attorney Wes Hinch plan to now deliver this kind of bombshell on any of these cases, it should rekindle one of the complaints that prosecutors are systematically dragging their feet on cases with no consideration of the cost to those who pay the bills.
Recently District Judge Mark Morefield, District Judge Chap Cain, County Court-at-Law Judge Tommy Chambers, and County Judge and Chief Executive Officer of the County Craig McNair improved the county’s practice of incarcerating people awaiting trial. Shortening the amount of time people spent in jail that were considered not dangerous has saved the county hundreds of thousands of dollars this year and untold amounts of money in the future.
Little and Hinch can be dragged into being more conservative and respectful of taxpayer money in some areas, but they still have areas of discretion, like the Cleveland rape case, that they can roll up a big bill for us to pay even if they know all along the evidence does not justify the efforts.
Let’s hope this kind of thing is not the final result.
Regardless of what people think the outcome of this case should be, the one outcome that should be unacceptable to everyone could be the one we are all soon to hear.
If the outcome of any of the twenty is based on the “lack of evidence” or “tainted evidence”, then this case should leave a bad taste in almost everyone’s mouths. The victim will surely be dissatisfied. The victim and the accused will have been the subject of media speculation for nearly a year and the accused will have had their mug shots splattered all over the country. The taxpayers will be left wondering why money was spent on cases against anyone when there was not enough evidence to get convictions. Parents will have doled out big bucks for lawyers.
If most of 2011 has gone by and District Attorney Mike Little and County Attorney Wes Hinch plan to now deliver this kind of bombshell on any of these cases, it should rekindle one of the complaints that prosecutors are systematically dragging their feet on cases with no consideration of the cost to those who pay the bills.
Recently District Judge Mark Morefield, District Judge Chap Cain, County Court-at-Law Judge Tommy Chambers, and County Judge and Chief Executive Officer of the County Craig McNair improved the county’s practice of incarcerating people awaiting trial. Shortening the amount of time people spent in jail that were considered not dangerous has saved the county hundreds of thousands of dollars this year and untold amounts of money in the future.
Little and Hinch can be dragged into being more conservative and respectful of taxpayer money in some areas, but they still have areas of discretion, like the Cleveland rape case, that they can roll up a big bill for us to pay even if they know all along the evidence does not justify the efforts.
Let’s hope this kind of thing is not the final result.
18 comments:
Let us all show these two public prosecuters how we feel about their work ethics when election time rolls around. This is completely unaceptable. What are they trying to pull this time. Either you do or don't,but you do not stall a case like this.
I understand prosecutors need to have plenty of room to make decisions so laws donot constrain them, but Liberty County has wasted millions of dollars over the eyars by keeping non violent people in jail that were not a flight risk. These people could have waited for trial at their own dinner table instead of the public trough. Besides the fact plenty of these people were found not guilty,many more were an expense to this county that was unwarranted.
Allowing juveniles to run around and commit lesser crimes is a formula for disaster. It may save a nickel now but it will cost megabucks in the future. And it does not help anyone in the long run. The juvenile may learn his lesson while paying the price for a small mistake rather than get off and make a much bigger mistake that cost much more.
Anthony Scott and company need some encouragement from higher up the food chain. They should be systematically setting up communications with parents and schools and whatever else that will help report juveniles under probation and their poor behavior. A real and well known chance of revoking probation is a great deterent IF USED PROPERLY.
why would little and hinch go forward with cases with insufficient evidence? is the victim going to testify?
I bet I know why all the documents are getting notarized:
1. Most of them are church incorporation documents, for dozens of churches.
2. Each church qualifies for FULL property tax exempt status for every building, parsonage, or place of worship.
3. Each church qualifies to have a private school, instead of a home school, getting instant access to the private school events in Houston/Kingwood/Conroe/Woodlands. (bands, orchestras, sports, choirs, field trips,...)
4. Every parent can use the property tax savings to pay for the private schooling expenses, working the same (only better) than the voucher system.
5. Thus a private church group of households, each gets a ('parsonage') property tax savings, with which to form a private school, collectively, and bypass the deplorable and scandalously run public schools- picking THEIR pockets for the expense.
note: the mentality being, that accreditation is meaningless; as the low performing public school IS, while the unaccredited private schools CREAM them on national exams, SAT, ACT, ...-
PRECISELY, the reason why the private school kids aren't allowed on campus, to also CREAM them on TAKS!!!
Guess which, of these two groups of kids (public or private schools,) the colleges PREFER??
BRILLIANT, folks!!! LMAO
that works double, even triple; as it also picks the thieving pockets of the city and the county!
SUPER brilliant!
Get religion, (not theirs, but your OWN,) and pass the tax exemptions. (and ya don't have to become a lesbian minister or pedophile priest, either) LOVE it!
That property tax exemption trick would take 3 grand off my annual mortgage payments, and it's totally legal??? WOW
"Little and Hinch can be dragged into being..."???
I prefer: can be voted out, and exiled into political oblivion...
LD: Let's not get into the rehab and reforming of scoundrels mentality. It can't be done!
You're far better off getting rid of them, and hoping they can't produce offspring or protege's.
Then you can start the 'environmental cleanup' of their legacy: one huge MESS.
"and It's totally legal"?
yep, Let the county appraisal district pay for your kid's private schooling.
Just file the following documents:
1. Articles of incorporation with
application as church/non profit at Sec'y of State-that generates a state charter
2. State charter (copy) at State Comptroller- that generates a sales and use tax exemption... BYE BYE PAYING 8 1/4% SALES TAXES!
3. Application for property tax exemption at LC central appraisal. Designate the religious use of the property (worship, religious education, minister's residence, parsonage, manse, retreat center, conference center, etc...)
4. Send the appraisal district's acceptance letter, granting tax exemption, to your mortgage company- reducing the taxes from your monthly mortgage payment.. AND REFUNDING THE OVERAGE FROM YOUR ESCROW ACCOUNT!!! (hello, FOUR DIGIT CHECK to pay for private school)!
5. skip the application for recognition of tax exempt status at the IRS (as churches are exempt from filing, already BEING exempt.) Why apply for recognition that you already have, and don't need twice? (read the form's instructions, under ""who must file"")!!!!
6. skip the form 990 at both the State atty general and the IRS, as churches are exempt from both (other non profits aren't)... read the form 990 instructions, under ""who must file""
note: any shyster out there, who ain't taking NOTES, is an idiot, and throwing away a stack of business.
note, the next: any distraught parent, who ain't taking notes is EXCUSED...
(because they're a local schools' PRODUCT, were "dumned down" and PROGRAMMED stupid, and were never taught to take notes, in the FIRST PLACE)!!!
yes, LD readers, SANTA CAME EARLY this year. Put that in your stocking and SMILE....
duhhhNesa is doing a major political smoke screen again:
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/district-earns-state-s-highest-fiscal-accountability-rating/article_1af8f791-6099-5a91-bf01-afa9eab783d8.html
yes, LD readers, the headline should read: ""District earns state's and parents', 'LOWEST acceptability' and ""totally UNACCEPTABLE"" ratings, respectively.""
The lowest from the state, as the only thing lower, is "unacceptable."
The lowest from the parents, for giving out 1000+ tickets, over the last two school years. Seems that CISD wants to focus on CRIMINALIZING the kids, (as opposed to nurturing, caring for, or educating them.)
Small wonder, that there is a multi pronged LC/LD parent move, to private and home schools (and/or "return the favor" of "ruining their career prospects and futures", to the CISD administrators)!!!
Yes, let's see them just TRY to market a 'CISD administrator experience' RESUME!
As always, if there's corruption to be covered up..... you'll find
duhhNesa, the ""Empress of Consumer Fraud, Schemes, and Scams""-right in the forefront!!!
For that matter, the entire recall committee was at a recent school board meeting, presumably (as no Methodist minister was present, to be recalled!!), to AID IN THE COVER UP!!!
Let's all make like the Beach Boys' song and 'be true to your school, or be loyal to our "what a gal," and chamber of commerce member (gotta shop local- even for skewed news, duhhNesa)??? NOT!
new duhhNesa title: ""Spinster of skewed news"", anyone?
Oh well, at least she got the message from the 'divining rod', and the weekend rain forecast right (""hot, dry, fires, and unlikely to come here"")....that is, IF.... you live in say,
BASTROP!!!
""Capital bit of humor, there"" (from Disney's Mary Poppins): "dumned" down, self explanatory, (and almost nobody, will get it) LOVE IT!
NEWSFLASH: duhhhNesa covers up the culprits again!
Yes, our overpaid city public works director just can't seem to observe a leak, the SIZE OF A RIVER, in months!!! (It's only a two mile by two mile city, and he has meters to monitor flow...)
The citizens are under mandatory water restrictions, and $500 fines for violations; yet he, Mike Ulbig, can be in dereliction of duty for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS AND DOLLARS.... with impunity.
note: the kirbywood golf club, closed in Sept 2008, by Hurricane Ike; and due to insolvency, from years of abusive local freeloaders.
Arguably, why would Cleveland even need a golf course? (the same public works director sees to it, that every street in town, has AT LEAST eighteen holes)! This is the worst condition, that our streets, sewers, and water system, have ever been. Such a manager! NOT!
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/water-money-down-the-drain-due-to-leak/article_a91cbd7f-308a-5afb-b4f0-75c12f4d5d6a.html
What about that river's little brother, originating at the corner of Garner and Parkhurst, and still flowing too???
The local incompetence seems to know no bounds. (This is why every small town should be run by a corrupt church- they KNOW SO MUCH)!!! NOT!
The ""proof's in the pudding,"" folks. (and this one's rotten.)
thanks duhhNesa, for covering up another ""god player on gov't payroll.""
Not here, on LD, you don't!
update: the lead at Garner and parkhurst was fixed this evening. Now, for the river(s) flowing at the fairway and the tee of Kirbywoods 9th and 7th holes...
Didn't mike ulbig get suspended few years back for slandering a black city worker when phillip cook heard about it? Ignorance. And all those holes in the road are from that cow stand in city manager & her herd walking down the streets...haha
no, not entirely.
A lot of those holes are from the $200,000+ sales tax shortfall-
caused by the consumer boycott of local businesses-
caused by the following citizen fleecings and injustices:
chamber in the civic center, Entergy utility monopoly, scandalous church's political dominance,
red light cameras,
recall,
council exemption from the 'no debts to the city' eligibility clause in the charter,
fire/ems funds theft and embezzling,
school district's giving of 1000+ criminal records to kids,
municipal judge (not a city resident) railroading kids for the school, and
appointing the Barnett puppets to the city council.
well put. Describes Cleveland to a T
you mean the former municipal judge, Steely, right? RIGHT!
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