Man gets 22 years for local drug ring
August 2011
A New York man was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison Wednesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to operating a large drug distribution ring through Charlottesville.
Rodney Wayne Barnes, 44, of Queens, N.Y., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville on charges of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, heroin and powder cocaine and money laundering.
Barnes, who was been in jail since his arrest in July 2010, was the kingpin of a drug distribution ring that brought drugs through Charlottesville to other cities in Virginia and North Carolina.
His drug activities attracted police attention after residents on Altavista Avenue reported suspicious activities going on in a neighboring house, officials said at his guilty plea earlier this year.
Ron Huber, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said the sentence brings an end to a drug case that brought drugs through Charlottesville for more than a year.
“[The Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force] did a great job in this case,” Huber said. “Once they got word [Barnes] was bringing drugs into the area they got to working on it and broke up the ring.”
Barnes’ 14 co-defendants have also entered guilty pleas to their roles in the conspiracy and have been sentenced, Huber said. Those sentences ranged from 16 months to more than 144 months in federal prison, he said.
(Source)
20110831
20110829
Care To Guess What Sort Of Mood I’m In?
investigation
mexicans at the maya
JADE Task Force bad boys
♥
There once was a cop from Charlottesville
Who gulped down his booze like it was swill
And when he was toast
The Boys In Blue would he roast
Giving me grist for the mill.
♥
trees strewn, storm got ya
you ‘n she leave at eight-ish
your same life, juiceless.
♥
The badges from the County
Guns, tasers, and bounty
The men wear it all proud
So the chicks will be wowed
And go for an on-duty mount-y.
♥
trooperman, my crush
en route to division one
‘til we meet again
mexicans at the maya
JADE Task Force bad boys
♥
There once was a cop from Charlottesville
Who gulped down his booze like it was swill
And when he was toast
The Boys In Blue would he roast
Giving me grist for the mill.
♥
trees strewn, storm got ya
you ‘n she leave at eight-ish
your same life, juiceless.
♥
The badges from the County
Guns, tasers, and bounty
The men wear it all proud
So the chicks will be wowed
And go for an on-duty mount-y.
♥
trooperman, my crush
en route to division one
‘til we meet again
20110825
All In Good Fun
Huge-known fact: When I cruise around, I will take photographs of random officers and later occasionally mock said officers on the Internet.
Little-known fact: When officers cruise around, they will take photographs of random persons and later occasionally mock said persons on the Internet.
Little-known fact: When officers cruise around, they will take photographs of random persons and later occasionally mock said persons on the Internet.
20110819
The Blog Is Mightier Than The Badge -- Henrico County Court (Part 4)
(Part1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
Uncertain of what SA Tony Gattuso would be alleging on this date, prior to court I’d compiled and organized an enormous stack of, well, everything I possibly reckoned could be applicable.
Plausibly Tony would cite the blogs -- yes, both of them, though one hadn’t existed at the time of my last judicial appearance -- his girlfriend, their residence, his and my romance and our sole short-term break-up, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Agent’s trial, and the Virginia State Police’s both criminal and internal affairs investigations of him and their outcomes.
Hence here I was in court armed with copies of chat logs, emails, and images. Though they were printed out in their entirety to preserve context, I’d highlighted strictly the germane. Additionally, I had my phone which contained recordings and text messages. No less than a hundred pieces of documentation, I swear. My ally had done everything from laugh to shake her head in shock going over them on the trip up.
While Tony had been talking, I’d been carefully rearranging the above items to address each of his comments in the order he’d made them.
I’d actually placed some stuff related to Tony and I regarding the ATF John Stoltz harassment garbage on top but chose not to correct his half-lie. Meh. It’s not even worth moving my tongue for.
Instead, I expelled a single sentence that Tony was cognizant from the get-go about me, and how my site operated.
As an example of Tony’s true sentiment about the blog, I provided the judge with a written exchange Tony and I had about the posting of his vehicle on my site months ago and a printout of the entry itself -- made fifteen minutes subsequent to our discussing it. After the judge asked me to clarify whose email address was whose, she read his approval, his jokes about his VSP-issued Ford Expedition becoming “famous,” and his agreement to let me know if his colleagues said anything about it to him. I followed that up with an email received by me three days later, which bore an attachment of a photograph of another VA State Police vehicle. The email exposed Tony himself had taken the picture and urged me to post it.
Next I submitted to the judge the I HeArTE JADE entry in its entirety showing the home Tony lives in. To demonstrate the abode was not some secret hideaway, I presented a paper version of a real estate website that had an identical photograph to mine plus an address and assorted data, and then the government website for Petersburg, VA, property information depicting, again, an identical photograph and address, along with owner’s name and more. With my finger I tapped the date stamp, set off in hot pink marker, of my own site entry, and read it aloud: February of this year.
The judge had started to voice something, then abruptly cut herself off. “That’s from February?” she inquired. I responded in the affirmative. Her eyebrows shot up. She focused her gaze on Tony and in stern tone said to him “It concerns me that is from February and you are only now bringing it up.” Uh-huh. That’s the reason he didn’t print the whole blog post with the picture he’d introduced; he didn’t want to yield the date. I am heavens-glad I brought mine.
That’s when I learned Tony really, really, sucks at being impromptu. Without a script, he rambled something awful. He said he’d begged me to take the pictures down but that I replied I didn’t care about him; he said he requested that I not blog about him but that I replied I didn’t care about him; he said he reminded me that I protect my sources. Did he just admit in open court he’s one of my sources? Yikes. And guess what he said I replied? Right; that I didn’t care about him. He drags me into court, fibs, and then whines that I don’t care about him?! I felt like doing a face-plant on the polished wood in front of us. He contended I was publishing our communications and writing about our intimacy. “I just don’t know what she’s capable of anymore.” Yeah. I might possibly… make a typo.
It went downhill for Special Agent Anthony Gattuso Jr. from there.
I countered every argument he delivered by whipping up a sheet for the judge from the stash I’d carried in.
Tony articulated he’d attempted to dissolve our relationship in mid-to-late 2010. I fanned a substantial sheaf in the air as proof he’d euphorically continued our affair months past then.
“I have nude pictures he sent me recently of himself” I announced. The judge quickly shot her palm up and uttered “I don’t need to see those.” Aww… okay, but you’re totally missing out.
Tony went into damage control mode. He reiterated he’d tried to terminate things, this time modifying his story slightly with assertions that he was afraid if he didn’t stay with me I would write about our involvement. It was the only moment during testimony I looked straight at him. “You were scared so you tried to end it with me by sending me nude pictures of yourself?” I moved my gaze away immediately. The judge waited for Tony’s riposte but he had no comeback for that one.
I maintained Tony was pursuing me all along, enthusiastically at that. Drawing attention to my pile of evidence, I referenced his ongoing contact with me, most of which he’d initiated -- as fresh as two weeks earlier, the very night before he’d acquired the preliminary protective order.
I described the statcounter on my site which tracks visitors and their search terms. I told the judge that Tony had often sent me messages through the I HeArTE JADE navigation bar -- including “hearting jade in Richmond” and even a jealously-produced growl. I had emails and Google chats where we’d bantered about his doing so.
I gave the judge the Stat Counter Internet logs to examine. She requested I explain what she was studying. I indicated the part where, on July 31, 2011, Tony utilized the search field and what he’d typed in it: see me tomrrow before work........;). She wanted to hear how I knew it was from Tony. I had her flip to the first page to verify this particular log contained records exclusively from the Virginia State Police. I said Tony was the only one from their agency to communicate with me in that manner and that he was the only one I knew who used weird ellipses. “See the long string of dots after the message?” From all the Gmails and Gchats the judge had gone over thus far, she could perceive it was congruent with Tony’s writing habits. Plus I have no control over the statcounter nor the ability to generate the Virginia State Police’s IP and Richmond location.
Tony tried to deny it came from him, but by then it was clear the sharp judge wasn’t falling for his bunk.
She asked Tony if I had ever threatened him. He began his answer by supposing a theoretical someone may use the material on my blog to target him due to his being a cop… then ran on to my maplink tagging where the Virginia State Police Surveillance Unit is… blah, blah, blah… until finally wrapping it up with the fact that where he lives is under lone ownership of his girlfriend. Whoa. What a tangent. None of that means I’m dangerous. Wait; from my photograph without an address, dumb yet hostile criminals are going to find a dwelling that isn’t even associated with your name and harm you?
Based on her expression, the judge seemed as unconvinced as me. Given that Tony hadn’t answered her question, she repeated it to him exactly. “Has she ever threatened you?” “Uh, no” he confessed. The judge gave him one more opportunity. “Has she threatened you indirectly?” “No.”
Tony commenced blubbering about my having a cyberjoint devoted specifically to him. The judge promptly enlightened the man. “Even if I grant you this order, I can’t stop her from blogging about you.” Booyah! This judge is uber on. the. ball.
For roughly half a minute the courtroom was silent. Then…
Case dismissed.
To the stares of humored onlookers, I literally danced all the way out of the courthouse.
I can’t help but wonder if Tony didn’t deliberately sabotage himself at the hearing. One of the things I loved about my State Policeman is his intelligence. It wasn’t smart of him to pull this stunt, period, but to be as unprepared in court as he was besides -- not that he had anything to use against me anyway -- is puzzling. I mean, honestly, he must’ve anticipated his solo performance and meager three photocopies were going to be no match against the tons of my hard evidence, which he knew I had, and a deponent.
Despite what he might’ve led his agency and his girlfriend to believe, Tony and I had a beautiful relationship for a year-and-a-half. I’m ultra-sad this officer I was topsy-turvy in-love with turned out to be nothing more than a dirty cop and con artist.
Good for Special Agent Gattuso neither the VSP nor his sweetheart mind his behavior. Good for me they don’t have to.
Uncertain of what SA Tony Gattuso would be alleging on this date, prior to court I’d compiled and organized an enormous stack of, well, everything I possibly reckoned could be applicable.
Plausibly Tony would cite the blogs -- yes, both of them, though one hadn’t existed at the time of my last judicial appearance -- his girlfriend, their residence, his and my romance and our sole short-term break-up, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Agent’s trial, and the Virginia State Police’s both criminal and internal affairs investigations of him and their outcomes.
Hence here I was in court armed with copies of chat logs, emails, and images. Though they were printed out in their entirety to preserve context, I’d highlighted strictly the germane. Additionally, I had my phone which contained recordings and text messages. No less than a hundred pieces of documentation, I swear. My ally had done everything from laugh to shake her head in shock going over them on the trip up.
While Tony had been talking, I’d been carefully rearranging the above items to address each of his comments in the order he’d made them.
I’d actually placed some stuff related to Tony and I regarding the ATF John Stoltz harassment garbage on top but chose not to correct his half-lie. Meh. It’s not even worth moving my tongue for.
Instead, I expelled a single sentence that Tony was cognizant from the get-go about me, and how my site operated.
As an example of Tony’s true sentiment about the blog, I provided the judge with a written exchange Tony and I had about the posting of his vehicle on my site months ago and a printout of the entry itself -- made fifteen minutes subsequent to our discussing it. After the judge asked me to clarify whose email address was whose, she read his approval, his jokes about his VSP-issued Ford Expedition becoming “famous,” and his agreement to let me know if his colleagues said anything about it to him. I followed that up with an email received by me three days later, which bore an attachment of a photograph of another VA State Police vehicle. The email exposed Tony himself had taken the picture and urged me to post it.
Next I submitted to the judge the I HeArTE JADE entry in its entirety showing the home Tony lives in. To demonstrate the abode was not some secret hideaway, I presented a paper version of a real estate website that had an identical photograph to mine plus an address and assorted data, and then the government website for Petersburg, VA, property information depicting, again, an identical photograph and address, along with owner’s name and more. With my finger I tapped the date stamp, set off in hot pink marker, of my own site entry, and read it aloud: February of this year.
The judge had started to voice something, then abruptly cut herself off. “That’s from February?” she inquired. I responded in the affirmative. Her eyebrows shot up. She focused her gaze on Tony and in stern tone said to him “It concerns me that is from February and you are only now bringing it up.” Uh-huh. That’s the reason he didn’t print the whole blog post with the picture he’d introduced; he didn’t want to yield the date. I am heavens-glad I brought mine.
That’s when I learned Tony really, really, sucks at being impromptu. Without a script, he rambled something awful. He said he’d begged me to take the pictures down but that I replied I didn’t care about him; he said he requested that I not blog about him but that I replied I didn’t care about him; he said he reminded me that I protect my sources. Did he just admit in open court he’s one of my sources? Yikes. And guess what he said I replied? Right; that I didn’t care about him. He drags me into court, fibs, and then whines that I don’t care about him?! I felt like doing a face-plant on the polished wood in front of us. He contended I was publishing our communications and writing about our intimacy. “I just don’t know what she’s capable of anymore.” Yeah. I might possibly… make a typo.
It went downhill for Special Agent Anthony Gattuso Jr. from there.
I countered every argument he delivered by whipping up a sheet for the judge from the stash I’d carried in.
Tony articulated he’d attempted to dissolve our relationship in mid-to-late 2010. I fanned a substantial sheaf in the air as proof he’d euphorically continued our affair months past then.
“I have nude pictures he sent me recently of himself” I announced. The judge quickly shot her palm up and uttered “I don’t need to see those.” Aww… okay, but you’re totally missing out.
Tony went into damage control mode. He reiterated he’d tried to terminate things, this time modifying his story slightly with assertions that he was afraid if he didn’t stay with me I would write about our involvement. It was the only moment during testimony I looked straight at him. “You were scared so you tried to end it with me by sending me nude pictures of yourself?” I moved my gaze away immediately. The judge waited for Tony’s riposte but he had no comeback for that one.
I maintained Tony was pursuing me all along, enthusiastically at that. Drawing attention to my pile of evidence, I referenced his ongoing contact with me, most of which he’d initiated -- as fresh as two weeks earlier, the very night before he’d acquired the preliminary protective order.
I described the statcounter on my site which tracks visitors and their search terms. I told the judge that Tony had often sent me messages through the I HeArTE JADE navigation bar -- including “hearting jade in Richmond” and even a jealously-produced growl. I had emails and Google chats where we’d bantered about his doing so.
I gave the judge the Stat Counter Internet logs to examine. She requested I explain what she was studying. I indicated the part where, on July 31, 2011, Tony utilized the search field and what he’d typed in it: see me tomrrow before work........;). She wanted to hear how I knew it was from Tony. I had her flip to the first page to verify this particular log contained records exclusively from the Virginia State Police. I said Tony was the only one from their agency to communicate with me in that manner and that he was the only one I knew who used weird ellipses. “See the long string of dots after the message?” From all the Gmails and Gchats the judge had gone over thus far, she could perceive it was congruent with Tony’s writing habits. Plus I have no control over the statcounter nor the ability to generate the Virginia State Police’s IP and Richmond location.
Tony tried to deny it came from him, but by then it was clear the sharp judge wasn’t falling for his bunk.
She asked Tony if I had ever threatened him. He began his answer by supposing a theoretical someone may use the material on my blog to target him due to his being a cop… then ran on to my maplink tagging where the Virginia State Police Surveillance Unit is… blah, blah, blah… until finally wrapping it up with the fact that where he lives is under lone ownership of his girlfriend. Whoa. What a tangent. None of that means I’m dangerous. Wait; from my photograph without an address, dumb yet hostile criminals are going to find a dwelling that isn’t even associated with your name and harm you?
Based on her expression, the judge seemed as unconvinced as me. Given that Tony hadn’t answered her question, she repeated it to him exactly. “Has she ever threatened you?” “Uh, no” he confessed. The judge gave him one more opportunity. “Has she threatened you indirectly?” “No.”
Tony commenced blubbering about my having a cyberjoint devoted specifically to him. The judge promptly enlightened the man. “Even if I grant you this order, I can’t stop her from blogging about you.” Booyah! This judge is uber on. the. ball.
For roughly half a minute the courtroom was silent. Then…
Case dismissed.
To the stares of humored onlookers, I literally danced all the way out of the courthouse.
I can’t help but wonder if Tony didn’t deliberately sabotage himself at the hearing. One of the things I loved about my State Policeman is his intelligence. It wasn’t smart of him to pull this stunt, period, but to be as unprepared in court as he was besides -- not that he had anything to use against me anyway -- is puzzling. I mean, honestly, he must’ve anticipated his solo performance and meager three photocopies were going to be no match against the tons of my hard evidence, which he knew I had, and a deponent.
Despite what he might’ve led his agency and his girlfriend to believe, Tony and I had a beautiful relationship for a year-and-a-half. I’m ultra-sad this officer I was topsy-turvy in-love with turned out to be nothing more than a dirty cop and con artist.
Good for Special Agent Gattuso neither the VSP nor his sweetheart mind his behavior. Good for me they don’t have to.
First He, Then Me -- Henrico County Court (Part 3)
(Part 1) (Part 2)
The uniformed fellow manning the metal detector at the Henrico County Courthouse slipped part of my evidence -- a pretty green cellular -- into a tiny manila envelope and sealed it with sticker tape before placing it back in my hand and waving me on.
Scanning for my name, my belly filled with imaginary and, I should add, rambunctious, butterflies, I perused the dockets at each of the thresholds leading to the four available courtrooms. The purple, silver, gray and black, high heels on my feet clicked rhythmically as I made my way across the long stretch of floor. Last door. Figures! There it was, adjacent to the person’s name who was responsible for my being there: Gattuso Jr., Anthony.
I pointed it out to the friend slash witness who’d come with me. I noticed the time “9 AM” scrawled in red pen above the respective civil case. Instantly my eyes swelled in panic. According to the paperwork I’d been served, the hearing was scheduled for 9:30. My thoughts reflected a sudden overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Oh my God! What if I’m late? What if it already happened, and because I wasn’t here he won by default? Can I appeal? This bites.
Upon entering the courtroom, my trepidation only worsened. I didn’t spot my opponent, Tony, anywhere amid the smattering of people inside. Earlier in the week I’d hypothesized he, knowing how ridiculous this was, would perhaps not even attend but now, considering the possibility what we were present for had already transpired, not seeing him intensified my worry.
As my companion joined the various folks seated on the solid pews, I approached one of the lawmen up front and touched him on the arm to quietly get his attention. I conveyed my problem to him. I inhaled a sigh of assuagement when he returned from checking with the clerk and informed me it was indeed set for the time I’d been given. Thanking him, I sat in the open expanse next to my comrade.
Seconds later, the same bailiff approached me and queried whether I had met with a victim/witness advocate yet. I smiled and shook my head negatively, guessing what he supposed. Leaning towards my friend, I whispered “Isn’t it funny how they assume because I’m female I’m the ‘victim’?”
Catching bits of conversation among the court employees, I gathered which woman was a victim/witness advocate and overheard her say something to the gist that she would bring in the complainant. That must mean he’s here. Hahaha… I can’t believe it!
In the meantime, the judge, a plain yet attractive African-American lady, excused herself from her bench.
Whenever I’m in court -- either as a defendant or casual observer -- like most, if I hear the door behind me gap I pivot around to check out the incomer. During one of these instances on this day, I glimpsed Tony. Dang, he is so handsome in business attire. I told the gal pal who’d gone with me that I’d never seen Tony in head-to-toe official garb before. She replied “Well you’ve seen him in his birthday suit; now you’ve seen him in a regular suit.”
Shortly thereafter, the judge exited from her chambers, settled in her chair, and called our names. This is it.
Standing in front of her Honor, from left to right: I, the person I’d identified as a victim/witness advocate, Tony, and another man who was apparently also a victim/witness advocate. Sheesh. How many of these freakin’ people does he need?!
In the side-telling, Tony went first.
Much like VSP Trooper Brandon Long had when he and I battled out my “improper stopping on highway” traffic ticket in the Bedford Court, Tony’s words were exceedingly deceptive and designed to manipulate in his favor.
Reading from a typed leaf, Mr. Gattuso, naturally, kicked things off by introducing himself as a Special Agent with the Virginia State Police. Hey judge, I’m a cop. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Furthermore, he described his work in the Surveillance Unit as “covert.” Hell, why not just claim to be an undercover?
Over the last year and a half, Tony had always called my site by its name “I heart jade.” Eight seconds in a courtroom and he was calling it “I hate jade.” He afforded the judge a printout of my blog banner, encouraging her to take note of its capitalization. She displayed the document to me. I merely nodded, not bothering to rectify the title-misrepresentation. Why get hung up on extraneous details?
Tony didn’t stop there as a spin doctor. He declared my blog “could be construed as anti-Law-Enforcement.” Oh? Then how come you, Mr. Law Enforcement member, were supplying me with content for an anti-Law-Enforcement site? I remained mute about that assertion as well.
He disclosed I had “been arrested and prosecuted for stalking.” Of course he neglected to mention that not only had I not been convicted, but that he had assisted me with the charge.
He went on to report I had posted a photograph of his house on I HeArTE JADE, and labels with his name appeared on said blog too. He pretended the activity was illegal. What the…? He knows I haven’t committed a crime! The judge interrupted his speech to tell him that was irrelevant to the matter at hand and that the allegation was beyond her scope of authority. Hmm… that was… interesting… of her to concede.
Tony extended a duplicate of the snapshot I’d published of his house, which the judge accepted. The picture was huge, spanning the full length of the 8x11; I’m not sure the original version was included in toto. By printing it like that, it failed to even reveal where it came from. That seriously makes no sense.
Then came my chance to defend myself.
(Part 4)
The uniformed fellow manning the metal detector at the Henrico County Courthouse slipped part of my evidence -- a pretty green cellular -- into a tiny manila envelope and sealed it with sticker tape before placing it back in my hand and waving me on.
Scanning for my name, my belly filled with imaginary and, I should add, rambunctious, butterflies, I perused the dockets at each of the thresholds leading to the four available courtrooms. The purple, silver, gray and black, high heels on my feet clicked rhythmically as I made my way across the long stretch of floor. Last door. Figures! There it was, adjacent to the person’s name who was responsible for my being there: Gattuso Jr., Anthony.
I pointed it out to the friend slash witness who’d come with me. I noticed the time “9 AM” scrawled in red pen above the respective civil case. Instantly my eyes swelled in panic. According to the paperwork I’d been served, the hearing was scheduled for 9:30. My thoughts reflected a sudden overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Oh my God! What if I’m late? What if it already happened, and because I wasn’t here he won by default? Can I appeal? This bites.
Upon entering the courtroom, my trepidation only worsened. I didn’t spot my opponent, Tony, anywhere amid the smattering of people inside. Earlier in the week I’d hypothesized he, knowing how ridiculous this was, would perhaps not even attend but now, considering the possibility what we were present for had already transpired, not seeing him intensified my worry.
As my companion joined the various folks seated on the solid pews, I approached one of the lawmen up front and touched him on the arm to quietly get his attention. I conveyed my problem to him. I inhaled a sigh of assuagement when he returned from checking with the clerk and informed me it was indeed set for the time I’d been given. Thanking him, I sat in the open expanse next to my comrade.
Seconds later, the same bailiff approached me and queried whether I had met with a victim/witness advocate yet. I smiled and shook my head negatively, guessing what he supposed. Leaning towards my friend, I whispered “Isn’t it funny how they assume because I’m female I’m the ‘victim’?”
Catching bits of conversation among the court employees, I gathered which woman was a victim/witness advocate and overheard her say something to the gist that she would bring in the complainant. That must mean he’s here. Hahaha… I can’t believe it!
In the meantime, the judge, a plain yet attractive African-American lady, excused herself from her bench.
Whenever I’m in court -- either as a defendant or casual observer -- like most, if I hear the door behind me gap I pivot around to check out the incomer. During one of these instances on this day, I glimpsed Tony. Dang, he is so handsome in business attire. I told the gal pal who’d gone with me that I’d never seen Tony in head-to-toe official garb before. She replied “Well you’ve seen him in his birthday suit; now you’ve seen him in a regular suit.”
Shortly thereafter, the judge exited from her chambers, settled in her chair, and called our names. This is it.
Standing in front of her Honor, from left to right: I, the person I’d identified as a victim/witness advocate, Tony, and another man who was apparently also a victim/witness advocate. Sheesh. How many of these freakin’ people does he need?!
In the side-telling, Tony went first.
Much like VSP Trooper Brandon Long had when he and I battled out my “improper stopping on highway” traffic ticket in the Bedford Court, Tony’s words were exceedingly deceptive and designed to manipulate in his favor.
Reading from a typed leaf, Mr. Gattuso, naturally, kicked things off by introducing himself as a Special Agent with the Virginia State Police. Hey judge, I’m a cop. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Furthermore, he described his work in the Surveillance Unit as “covert.” Hell, why not just claim to be an undercover?
Over the last year and a half, Tony had always called my site by its name “I heart jade.” Eight seconds in a courtroom and he was calling it “I hate jade.” He afforded the judge a printout of my blog banner, encouraging her to take note of its capitalization. She displayed the document to me. I merely nodded, not bothering to rectify the title-misrepresentation. Why get hung up on extraneous details?
Tony didn’t stop there as a spin doctor. He declared my blog “could be construed as anti-Law-Enforcement.” Oh? Then how come you, Mr. Law Enforcement member, were supplying me with content for an anti-Law-Enforcement site? I remained mute about that assertion as well.
He disclosed I had “been arrested and prosecuted for stalking.” Of course he neglected to mention that not only had I not been convicted, but that he had assisted me with the charge.
He went on to report I had posted a photograph of his house on I HeArTE JADE, and labels with his name appeared on said blog too. He pretended the activity was illegal. What the…? He knows I haven’t committed a crime! The judge interrupted his speech to tell him that was irrelevant to the matter at hand and that the allegation was beyond her scope of authority. Hmm… that was… interesting… of her to concede.
Tony extended a duplicate of the snapshot I’d published of his house, which the judge accepted. The picture was huge, spanning the full length of the 8x11; I’m not sure the original version was included in toto. By printing it like that, it failed to even reveal where it came from. That seriously makes no sense.
Then came my chance to defend myself.
(Part 4)
20110817
PPO -- Henrico County Court (Part 2)
(Part 1)
On July 31, 2011, Tony sent me a message through the navigation bar of I HeArTE JADE: meet me tomrrow before work.......;). I took the winking emoticon as a sign he was in high spirits, and looked forward to seeing him.
Unfortunately I was running late the next morning which prevented me from arriving where I’d intended; instead I cruised to the plaza where Tony’s office is located. Also unfortunately, Tony when he arrived was, by then, in a severe funk. He was stressed and depressed.
Though his yo-yo-ing had gotten tiresome, I loved him so I let him blow off steam. After he shouted for several minutes, he calmed down. He remarked I couldn’t understand what he was going through. He mentioned his mom was sad, his dad was confused, his girlfriend was mad, and he was hurting me. He verbalized that he thought everyone would be better off without him then he held his thumb and index finger about a quarter-inch apart and announced “I am this close to eating my gun.”
It was the third reference in a month he’d made to suicide. Though I didn’t necessarily feel he was going to hightail it home and put a bullet in his head, I was really worried about him; if he was saying those kind of things, he ought to talk to someone who was equipped to deal with such.
His mental health was more important than our future together. At 10:30 AM, I buzzed the same Sergeant as before and relayed my concerns. He seemed sympathetic and said he would call Tony’s Surveillance Unit to let them know.
At 4-something that afternoon, I returned to the lot at Tony’s place of business to find out if he was okay. Within moments, two marked local police cars entered and the operators who got out of them approached me. One asked for my name, which I provided. He requested I step out of my vehicle. I wanted to know why. He had a “Preliminary Protective Order” for me. Seriously? At least I wasn’t under arrest.
I was cooperative and the lawmen were extremely nice, answering a bunch of questions I posited. The hearing date scheduled was in two weeks, on August 15, 2011. One of the guys had to leave to fetch a copy for me, hence I hung out with the one that remained. Obviously out of curiosity, he fished for information and I ended up sharing with him a fair amount of the story of my and Tony’s affair. When the departing cop came back, he was trailed by a third. I voiced fears about accidentally running into Tony, who would be out of work at any minute, and they kindly volunteered to stand by until I’d had enough time to hit the highway.
The only thing I could think of as I drove off was that Tony couldn’t have possibly instigated this without coercion. Good grief. He’d. Told. Me. To. Come. See. Him. And I had proof! Best as I could figure, since my earlier phone call to the IAD revealed to them Tony had violated the terms of his punishment by being in contact with me, either the VSP or pseudo-wife had backed him into a corner over it. It wasn’t unreasonable to imagine that Tony, to shield himself, had insisted it was I who’d contacted him. No one other than Tony or me knew he’d initiated the get-together. I could just hear him being advised in response to take out a so-called restraining order. What might he say to that: uh, ah, uhm, no, I can’t? That would seem plenty odd. Then again, was this his version of damage control or was it anger- or embarrassment-induced retaliatory? Regardless, it was the last straw. I could tolerate his having a girlfriend, his insecurities, and his PMS-ing, but did he for realiously believe I would let him tie a protective order to my name just so he could cover his butt and save face? Talk about your blatant abuse of the system!
I decided to attempt to file a complaint against him with the Virginia State Police, mainly to gain some insight. I spoke with three Richmond-area VSP individuals: Blackman, Woodhouse, and Moore. All were familiar with me. Blackman and Moore were actually polite; Woodhouse, Tony’s direct supervisor, on the other hand was an obnoxious jerk. I couldn’t determine from any of our dialogues whether Tony had lied to them or they were lying to me. As I’d surmised, they refused to let me make my grievance official.
There was nothing left for me to do but call the Henrico County Court to learn exactly what Tony had claimed to get the temporary restraint, so I could prepare a defense. The clerk had no idea -- “he went in front of a judge” -- however I did garner Tony had waited until 3:00 PM -- approximately five hours after my chat with the Sergeant -- to do so.
I know what y’all are thinking. Boomslang asked me if perhaps Tony was merely trying break it off with me all this time. I weighed out the possibility. The thing is, even when Tony was down or strained, he was consistently communicating with me -- and in a sweet, flirty, romantic manner besides. I have the evidence to show it.
(Part 3)
On July 31, 2011, Tony sent me a message through the navigation bar of I HeArTE JADE: meet me tomrrow before work.......;). I took the winking emoticon as a sign he was in high spirits, and looked forward to seeing him.
Unfortunately I was running late the next morning which prevented me from arriving where I’d intended; instead I cruised to the plaza where Tony’s office is located. Also unfortunately, Tony when he arrived was, by then, in a severe funk. He was stressed and depressed.
Though his yo-yo-ing had gotten tiresome, I loved him so I let him blow off steam. After he shouted for several minutes, he calmed down. He remarked I couldn’t understand what he was going through. He mentioned his mom was sad, his dad was confused, his girlfriend was mad, and he was hurting me. He verbalized that he thought everyone would be better off without him then he held his thumb and index finger about a quarter-inch apart and announced “I am this close to eating my gun.”
It was the third reference in a month he’d made to suicide. Though I didn’t necessarily feel he was going to hightail it home and put a bullet in his head, I was really worried about him; if he was saying those kind of things, he ought to talk to someone who was equipped to deal with such.
His mental health was more important than our future together. At 10:30 AM, I buzzed the same Sergeant as before and relayed my concerns. He seemed sympathetic and said he would call Tony’s Surveillance Unit to let them know.
At 4-something that afternoon, I returned to the lot at Tony’s place of business to find out if he was okay. Within moments, two marked local police cars entered and the operators who got out of them approached me. One asked for my name, which I provided. He requested I step out of my vehicle. I wanted to know why. He had a “Preliminary Protective Order” for me. Seriously? At least I wasn’t under arrest.
I was cooperative and the lawmen were extremely nice, answering a bunch of questions I posited. The hearing date scheduled was in two weeks, on August 15, 2011. One of the guys had to leave to fetch a copy for me, hence I hung out with the one that remained. Obviously out of curiosity, he fished for information and I ended up sharing with him a fair amount of the story of my and Tony’s affair. When the departing cop came back, he was trailed by a third. I voiced fears about accidentally running into Tony, who would be out of work at any minute, and they kindly volunteered to stand by until I’d had enough time to hit the highway.
The only thing I could think of as I drove off was that Tony couldn’t have possibly instigated this without coercion. Good grief. He’d. Told. Me. To. Come. See. Him. And I had proof! Best as I could figure, since my earlier phone call to the IAD revealed to them Tony had violated the terms of his punishment by being in contact with me, either the VSP or pseudo-wife had backed him into a corner over it. It wasn’t unreasonable to imagine that Tony, to shield himself, had insisted it was I who’d contacted him. No one other than Tony or me knew he’d initiated the get-together. I could just hear him being advised in response to take out a so-called restraining order. What might he say to that: uh, ah, uhm, no, I can’t? That would seem plenty odd. Then again, was this his version of damage control or was it anger- or embarrassment-induced retaliatory? Regardless, it was the last straw. I could tolerate his having a girlfriend, his insecurities, and his PMS-ing, but did he for realiously believe I would let him tie a protective order to my name just so he could cover his butt and save face? Talk about your blatant abuse of the system!
I decided to attempt to file a complaint against him with the Virginia State Police, mainly to gain some insight. I spoke with three Richmond-area VSP individuals: Blackman, Woodhouse, and Moore. All were familiar with me. Blackman and Moore were actually polite; Woodhouse, Tony’s direct supervisor, on the other hand was an obnoxious jerk. I couldn’t determine from any of our dialogues whether Tony had lied to them or they were lying to me. As I’d surmised, they refused to let me make my grievance official.
There was nothing left for me to do but call the Henrico County Court to learn exactly what Tony had claimed to get the temporary restraint, so I could prepare a defense. The clerk had no idea -- “he went in front of a judge” -- however I did garner Tony had waited until 3:00 PM -- approximately five hours after my chat with the Sergeant -- to do so.
I know what y’all are thinking. Boomslang asked me if perhaps Tony was merely trying break it off with me all this time. I weighed out the possibility. The thing is, even when Tony was down or strained, he was consistently communicating with me -- and in a sweet, flirty, romantic manner besides. I have the evidence to show it.
(Part 3)
The Set-Up -- Henrico County Court (Part 1)
Way back near the end of February, 2011, my State Policeman, Tony Gattuso, sent word that he, because of his relationship with me, was under investigation by his agency, the Virginia State Police. They’d found out about us due to Law Enforcement’s illegal seizure and search of my property in late 2010.
Originally the VSP was treating their probe of Tony as a criminal matter, inferring he was one of my beloved sources. If I recall correctly, Tony told me it was a fellow named Lyons who was handling the case against him. Tony wrote that he could no longer have contact with me during the process lest he get fired. The VA State Police, unable to unearth Tony’s illegal activities, eventually dumped it in the lap of their Internal Affairs Division weeks later.
When I first heard the news, I was devastated. I even decided to stop updating my site. Frequently over the years I’d invariably avowed that I would blog “as long as nobody got hurt.” Well, suddenly someone I cared very much about was being hurt.
I’d always suspected that any officer caught with me would be dealt with as a “traitor.” Once I knew it to be true for certain, I immediately alerted Boomslang and JumpOut. I reluctantly gave them the option to distance themselves from me to avoid their being subjected to the same fate as Tony; I was on top of the world when each of them declined.
Despite Tony’s assertion that he couldn’t interact with me at all anymore, he continued to keep in touch. It was almost as if nothing had changed. We still exchanged emails and texts, still saw each other. We still had a rockin’ hot sex life, though there was a brief period where it wasn’t as often. The only difference was Tony had developed intense mood swings. He’d go from being supernaturally elated to angst-riddled. Off and on he’d tell me he couldn’t have contact with me then he’d turn right around and contact me.
Ultimately the Virginia State Police concluded their scrutiny of Tony. This past June, 2011, according to Tony, my lover was reprimanded for his involvement with me and the disciplinary action taken forbid him to have contact with me for three years. I was livid. Maybe they have a right to control personnel during working hours but how dare the VSP dictate who its employees associate with even on their personal time? Tony said “It’s because it’s you.”
I rang up their IAD to hash it out. I spoke to a Sergeant acquainted with the situation but, of course, got essentially nowhere.
Tony and I discussed ways to bypass the order without risking him losing his job. I rattled off a few tactics Boomslang, JumpOut, and I use to avoid detection and records.
Tony and I remained closely connected until August 1, 2011.
(Part 2)
Originally the VSP was treating their probe of Tony as a criminal matter, inferring he was one of my beloved sources. If I recall correctly, Tony told me it was a fellow named Lyons who was handling the case against him. Tony wrote that he could no longer have contact with me during the process lest he get fired. The VA State Police, unable to unearth Tony’s illegal activities, eventually dumped it in the lap of their Internal Affairs Division weeks later.
When I first heard the news, I was devastated. I even decided to stop updating my site. Frequently over the years I’d invariably avowed that I would blog “as long as nobody got hurt.” Well, suddenly someone I cared very much about was being hurt.
I’d always suspected that any officer caught with me would be dealt with as a “traitor.” Once I knew it to be true for certain, I immediately alerted Boomslang and JumpOut. I reluctantly gave them the option to distance themselves from me to avoid their being subjected to the same fate as Tony; I was on top of the world when each of them declined.
Despite Tony’s assertion that he couldn’t interact with me at all anymore, he continued to keep in touch. It was almost as if nothing had changed. We still exchanged emails and texts, still saw each other. We still had a rockin’ hot sex life, though there was a brief period where it wasn’t as often. The only difference was Tony had developed intense mood swings. He’d go from being supernaturally elated to angst-riddled. Off and on he’d tell me he couldn’t have contact with me then he’d turn right around and contact me.
Ultimately the Virginia State Police concluded their scrutiny of Tony. This past June, 2011, according to Tony, my lover was reprimanded for his involvement with me and the disciplinary action taken forbid him to have contact with me for three years. I was livid. Maybe they have a right to control personnel during working hours but how dare the VSP dictate who its employees associate with even on their personal time? Tony said “It’s because it’s you.”
I rang up their IAD to hash it out. I spoke to a Sergeant acquainted with the situation but, of course, got essentially nowhere.
Tony and I discussed ways to bypass the order without risking him losing his job. I rattled off a few tactics Boomslang, JumpOut, and I use to avoid detection and records.
Tony and I remained closely connected until August 1, 2011.
(Part 2)
News Of the Wired
Charlottesville Man Gets 10 Years on Drug Charges
August 15, 2011
A Charlottesville man, who previously pleaded guilty to possessing powder cocaine, was sentenced Monday in Charlottesville.
Roderick Lee Johnson, 57, previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of powder cocaine. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and eight years of supervised release thereafter.
"Mr. Johnson has been justly punished for his role in a drug business that operated in Charlottesville for several years," United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said.
Johnson was charged in January 2011 after an investigation lead [sic] authorities to believe he was involved in drug trafficking. During the execution of a search warrant at Johnson's residence, investigators discovered over half a kilogram of powder cocaine.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Jefferson Area Drug Task Force, Albemarle County Police Department and the Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney's Office.
(Source)
(Western District of Virginia Press Release)
August 15, 2011
A Charlottesville man, who previously pleaded guilty to possessing powder cocaine, was sentenced Monday in Charlottesville.
Roderick Lee Johnson, 57, previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of powder cocaine. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and eight years of supervised release thereafter.
"Mr. Johnson has been justly punished for his role in a drug business that operated in Charlottesville for several years," United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said.
Johnson was charged in January 2011 after an investigation lead [sic] authorities to believe he was involved in drug trafficking. During the execution of a search warrant at Johnson's residence, investigators discovered over half a kilogram of powder cocaine.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Jefferson Area Drug Task Force, Albemarle County Police Department and the Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney's Office.
(Source)
(Western District of Virginia Press Release)
20110811
OMG... Hide The Epsom!
4 Arrested in Bath Salt Ring Bust(Source)
August 11, 2011
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office has arrested four people for allegedly distributing bath salts in Craigsville.
The Rush Drug Task Force raided the suspects homes and found more than $10,000 worth of the illegal drug. Over the past few weeks, multiple people in the Craigsville area have died from an overdose of these drugs.
Holly Sprouse, Billy Ryder, Timothy Lancaster and Kenneth Cash were charged with the possession of Schedule I narcotic drugs. Sprouse was also charged with distribution of the drugs.
The task force raided three homes on Augusta Springs Road and one on the 3800 block of Little Calk Pasture Highway.
Police believe the suspects were crossing state lines to buy the illegal drugs and traffic them back to the county. The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration is also involved in the investigation because of the alleged trafficking.
The Augusta County police and the DEA are continuing to investigate the case.
Okay so it wasn’t a JADE operation, but can’t you just picture members of the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force rolling around on the street slugging it out with
JADE Rock(s)!
Man pleads guilty to drug charges from 1 month after leaving prison
Published: August 10, 2011
Published: August 10, 2011
A Charlottesville man involved in a 2008 shooting of a juvenile pleaded guilty Wednesday to unrelated drug, weapons and probation violation charges.(More)
Pee Wee Carmello Martinez, 22, pleaded guilty in Charlottesville Circuit Court to charges of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine and a probation violation.
Martinez was arrested in February after drugs were found in a car he was traveling in, prosecutors said. He had been out of prison for less than a month at the time of his arrest.
Martinez was one of two people arrested on Feb. 21 during a traffic stop on Interstate 64 in eastern Albemarle County. Members of the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force found more than 2 ounces of powder cocaine in the vehicle at the time of the stop, Albemarle County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Elliott Casey said in court Wednesday.
The driver of the car, 21-year-old Deshanta Trent of Charlottesville, was found guilty in July in Albemarle County Circuit Court on a charge of purchasing a firearm for a convicted felon, court records show.
After the pair was arrested, investigators found a loaded 9 mm handgun and an additional 3.2 grams of crack cocaine in Trent’s Charlottesville apartment, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Trent bought the gun for Martinez in the weeks before they were arrested.
Martinez admitted after his arrest to traveling up to New York to buy drugs and said the cocaine belonged to him, Casey said. Martinez had also sold drugs to members of JADE in the weeks before the traffic stop, prosecutors said.
20110802
PD In My City
Local Law Enforcement members where I live are pretty darn nifty. Most of them are nice and the few that aren’t, aren’t mean either. Overall grade: A+
That last one’s my favorite -- picture, that is, not the officer. ;)
That last one’s my favorite -- picture, that is, not the officer. ;)
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