The Llano Ledger
Newsletter Text V44
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Publisher's Note: Accessing _The Llano Ledger website without
generously providing financial assistance to this non-profit
publication not only denies desperately needed funds for investigative
expenses, but amounts to theft of this writer's labor. T.C.
*************June 12, 2000*************
Wednesday, June 14, is Flag Day. Be sure to proudly display the Colors.
The following complaint against County Judge J.P. Dodgen was recently sent to the General Services Commission:
General Services Commission
Open Records Section
P.O. Box 13047
Austin, Tx. 78711
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
Re: Overcharge Complaint
Dear Sir or Madam:
Since the Office of the Attorney General lacks statutory authority
to enforce the cost provisions of the Public Information Act, I have
been referred to you by the Open Records Division. Ch.552.269(a), Gov't
Code, Public Information.
In an apparent attempt to thwart the Public Information Act, Llano
County Judge J.P. Dodgen asserts there is a $1.00/copy charge in all
County offices. This seems to violate Ch.552, Gov't Code, Public
Information statutes regarding "reasonable" photocopying charges. At
the very least, it runs counter to the spirit of the Act.
Although not an attorney, my reading of the recently updated
Handbook indicates there is an exception for the County Clerk. My
question to you is does that apply only to the Clerk, or does it also
apply to all County offices? Simply put, can they legally charge
whatever they want in an effort to discourage open records requests?
Be advised I own no copier and have been transcribing County
records longhand to avoid paying these outrageous charges. Other
entities subject to the Public Information Act such as LMHS and the
School District charge a more reasonable $.10/copy. Thank you for
consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
cc: File
The following complaint against LISD Superintendent Jack Patton was filed recently with the Open Records Division:
David Mendoza, Legal Assistant
Open Records Division
Texas Attorney General's Office
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, Tx. 78711-2548
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
June 10, 2000
Re: Open Records Complaint
Dear Mr. Mendoza:
This is an open records complaint filed against Llano Independent
School District (LISD) Superintendent Jack Patton. Kindly find
attached: 1. The open records request dated May 25, 2000; 2. A second
bogus billing "Statement" from the Superintendent dated May 30 sent in
response, received May 31; 3. A follow-up letter sent to the
Superintendent dated June 1; and 4. Patton's apparent response, dated
earlier, but received June 3. Kindly be advised it contained no
"enclosure". The staple mark on the copy is due to my policy of
immediately attaching the envelope to the back of all received
correspondence.
The Superintendent has repeatedly attempted to dishonestly and
unethically charge for copies and "research" never requested nor agreed
to. For nearly one year, Mr. Patton has vigorously stonewalled and
obfuscated all information requests, whether formal or informal, in an
effort to forestall legitimate inquiry into egregious waste and
apparent corruption within the School District.
The Superintendent has essentially refused access to records
germane to determining whether or not taxpayer funds have been properly
spent. Currently, he is outrageously attempting to implement this
policy by arrogantly and arbitrarily imposing artificial, bogus fees
for access to public documents in an effort to thwart the Public
Information Act and avoid required disclosure.
Equally pointedly, no "research" is required to provide access to
recent LISD documents. Mr. Patton is simply desperately trying to keep
taxpayers from knowing the true extent of waste and apparent corruption
in the School District. He is well aware this publication is
non-profit, unfunded, and in no position to file an open records
lawsuit to force compliance.
He is also quite aware our District Attorney and County Attorney
are apparently corrupt and abusive and will take no action should the
Open Records Division balk. Both officials are highly selective in
their "prosecutions" and "protect their own." Worse yet, the District
Attorney himself attempted to dishonestly and unethically charge for
unrequested copies in an earlier open records request he apparently
failed to fully comply with. While his attempt at intimidation was not
successful, access to vouchers was not provided.
Consequently, no time nor effort will be wasted filing a complaint
with either the DA or the County Attorney should your office balk and
refuse to take action in the current matter. Should the Superintendent
prevail by the refusal of the Open Records Division to act, however,
the issue will provide additional fodder for the website and further
indication of insidious, pervasive corruption within the entire system.
Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
cc: File
Continuing critique of the Garrett Deposition, Austin attorney Iris
Jones hammered away at the Sheriff's lack of recall and knowledge
regarding the jail-rape investigation:
pp.102-103
Q. Has Joey Gordon been called in before to help investigate matters relating to your jail?
A. I don't know.
Q. To your knowledge, has he ever come in to help investigate a matter involving the jail?
A. I -- I don't recall.
Q. After you met with Tina Wisdom in the rec area and you completed your communication with her, what did you do after that?
A. I went back downstairs.
Q. To the second floor?
A. Yes, ma'am.
Q. And what did you do then?
Page 103
A. I talked to Ranger Gordon and -- I talked to Ranger Gordon, and
he said they were going to get a statement from Johnny Pesina and they
were going to interview Tina--
Q. All right. Do you know if they got --
A. -- and get a statement.
Q. Oh, I'm sorry.
A. Get a statement from her.
Q. Do you know whether or not they actually interviewed Johnny Pesina and obtained a statement from him?
A. Yes.
Q. Where is that statement?
A. I don't know.
Q. Did you ever see it?
A. No.
Q. Did you participate in the interview with Pesina wherein they obtained a statement from him?
A. No, ma'am.
Q. What happened after that, after they told you they were going to obtain statements from Pesina and Tina?
A. I let them continue the investigation.
Q. And?
A. And I left.
Mr. Garrett's glaring lack of interest in ensuring the jail-rape investigation was properly conducted is stunning:
Page 104
Q. Did anyone discuss getting Tina Wisdom to the hospital for a sexual assault examination?
A. I'm -- I'm not sure.
Q. Did you not inquire about that?
A. I didn't inquire about it, but that's standard procedure.
Q. Standard procedure for whom?
A. For anytime we have a sexual assault.
Q. So why didn't you order one to be done for Tina Wisdom?
A. I didn't feel like I needed to order one when the Texas Ranger
and my two investigators -- that's what they're being paid for to take
care of.
Yes, Sheriff, your investigators are indeed paid to properly
investigate. As Sheriff, however, it's your responsibility to ensure
that they're properly doing their job. -- Especially since the
"incident" occurred in your own damned jail.
Although confronted with a sexual assault in his own facility, Mr.
Garrett spent no more than two minutes talking to the victim attempting
to determine for himself what had happened and didn't even know whether
or not she had been taken to the hospital for a sexual assault
examination:
Page 105
Q. How long did the interview last with Ms. Wisdom, between yourself and Ms. Wisdom?
A. Maybe a minute, two minutes. I have no idea.
Q. It wasn't very long?
A. Wasn't very long.
Q. Do you know whether or not Ms. Wisdom was taken to the hospital for a sexual assault exam?
A. I don't know.
Apparently unsatisfied with the Sheriff's lack of responsiveness to
questioning regarding Jailer Holland Ligon's sexual activity with
inmates, Ms. Jones continued the pounding, finally eliciting a
statement from Mr. Garrett that was simply not true:
pp.113-114
Q. Did you ever discipline Holland Ligon -- prior to his
termination, did you ever discipline him for any reason during his term
of employment as a jailer?
A. Just that once.
Q. Just that once. And the once was a termination?
Page 114
A. No.
Q. The incident involving the DEA agents?
A. Right, verbal.
Q. And that was the only time?
A. And then when I found out that he had had sex with one of the inmates, then I terminated him.
The Sheriff's last statement is blatantly false. He fired Ligon months AFTER learning of his sexual activity with inmates:
pp.29-30
Q. Did you terminate Mr. Ligon?
A. Yes.
Q. When did you terminate him approximately if you can't remember exactly?
A. A month ago.
Q. A month. What was the reason for the termination?
A. He had sex with one of the prisoners.
Q. And who was that prisoner?
A. Jeannie Lee Rowley.
Q. And when did you find out about that incident?
A. From a Texas Ranger.
Q. Who is that Texas Ranger?
A. Joey Gordon.
Q. Joey --
A. Gordon.
Q. -- Gordon, G-o-r-d-o-n?
A. Yes, ma'am.
Page 30
Q. And when did Joey Gordon tell you that Holland Ligon had sex with Jeannie Lee Rowley?
A. The day I fired him.
Q. About a month ago?
A. Yes.
Q. Were you aware that this information came out during the time that the Grand Jury met in January of 1998?
A. What -- I don't understand.
Q. Maybe -- let me make my --
A. Okay.
Q. I can clarify. Were you aware that the information relating to
Holland Ligon having sex with Jeannie Lee Rowley came out in the open
in January, 1998 when the Grand Jury met?
A. I had heard some rumors.
Q. Sam Oatman didn't tell you about that in January?
A. I read the statement.
Q. In January?
A. Yes.
Q. Was that statement provided to you by Sam Oatman?
A. Yes.
Mr. Garrett apparently lied on Page 114 of his Deposition: "A. And
then when I found out that he had had sex with one of the inmates, then
I terminated him." The Sheriff had in fact delayed firing Ligon for
months after learning of the jailer's sexual activity in the jail. Why?
Simply put, he was apparently beholden to the jailer's grandfather, --
former Sheriff Gale Ligon. ... Garrett's immediate predecessor. If you
haven't done so yet, be sure to read the Ligon Deposition. It's quite
an eye-opener and will be critiqued in detail after completion of
Garrett Deposition commentary. More to come.
Since the point has been finally driven home to readers and the
County Judge, the earlier pounding regarding a lack of financial
support for this publication is no longer necessary. The truth,
however, is still the truth, -- and it isn't very pretty nor will it be
muzzled by our self-serving officials. With that in mind, the visitor
count stands in excess of 18,200.
Another excellent week. With rare exception, however, this
publication receives no financial support from the readership it serves
due to greed, gut-wrenching fear, and the continuing intimidation of
our abusive officials. Regardless, _The Llano Ledger remains beholden
to NO ONE, and will continue to firmly and aggressively hold the feet
of our worst offenders to the fire, -- with or without the financial
support of the community.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
_The Llano Ledger
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609
llanoledger@mailcity.com
Page Updated Tue Oct 9, 2001 1:14pm EDT