Infinitesimal Reflections AKA Evidence Locker #3

(Left: ATF Agent Michael Moore
Center: CPD Detective Todd Lucas
Right: ATF Agent Dave Stone)

From my last court experience, I learned:

• The fantastic fanatic ATFer David Stone is purportedly in the Richmond VA area, not Washington DC as I’d been led to believe. Kinda cool since I don’t make many trips to DC, whereas I do venture over the Richmond way quite a bit these days. Now, let’s see, where, oh where, is that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives office located again?
• Charlottesville Detective (and have I ever mentioned gang aficionado?) Todd Lucas is not merely good-natured, he’s borderline comedian.
• Scott Cox looks better in a Greene County Sheriff’s Office uniform than he did in an Albemarle County Police Department uniform. But he’s decidedly yummiest in Tac garb.
• Whom. Eons back, VSP Bureau of Criminal Investigations’ Special Agent Jason Trent blurted out to me that I’d published photographs of a car belonging to a Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force Confidential Informant. ‘Twas news to me. So, for the purpose of removing said images from I HeArTE JADE, I begged him to tell me which; he, being LEO-typical contrite to helpfulness, refused. Here it is, like, hello, over a year later, and thanks to Greene County Commonwealth Attorney Ron Morris and ATF Agent John Stoltz inadvertent rendering, I have the information! Only… I don’t want to delete pictures of the vehicle at this point because:

They’ve already been on the site for, like, hello, over a year.


They’re in a hilarious post, stemming from a hilarious event.


The victim of the CI is wise to who snitched him out anyway.


I don’t want to draw any more attention to them than, well, than I just did.

Speaking of crazy admissions by the CA and Mr. Stoltz, I was shocked to hear them acknowledge jastoltz is in fact the computer login user ID of the latter. I mean, sure, obviously I knew it was, but I didn’t think they would want anyone else to know I knew. And I almost laughed out loud when Mr. Morris woefully confessed to the courtroom they’re aware I have sources but were unable to unearth them. Yes, yes, yes! I protect my CIs better than policemen do theirs! Nah ner nah ner nah ner.

• Officers do a very good job of weaseling out of answering questions they don’t want to.
• Officers don’t do a very good job of appearing as if they aren’t trying to weasel out of answering questions they don’t want to.
• If I had a penny for every time one of the local rank and file cops as well as Federal Agents name-dropped C-ville’s Chief of Police, Tim Longo, I’d be able to pay off all my court costs.
• When I grow up I reallyreallyreally really want to be a Computer Forensic Expert. Or maybe a Fairy Princess.
• There are both advantages and disadvantages to not setting the time and date correctly on one’s camera.
• My court-appointed lawyer was the uber-awesomest.
• Finally, I learned that a Judge -- even one who’s a former State Trooper -- will not always side with members of Law Enforcement. ‘Specially if doing so puts him at risk of seeming plumb brainsick.

How Many Times CAN One Put Re- In Front Of Arrested?

Generally I categorize this site as humorous or entertaining. When things aren’t funny or fun to me, it makes it rough to update. I enjoy mocking the ridiculousness of various Law Enforcement members, along with the habitually-ludicrous frequently-oppressive judicial system, and often I forget how very real the absurdity and onerousness is; on rare occasions when I get a heavy enough dose of its reality, it truly makes me sad. Too sad to write, let alone write well.

This past Wednesday, October 27, 2010, was my trial in Greene County. Only there was no trial. Because the Commonwealth Attorney decided not to prosecute me. Instead he had me re-arrested. In court. For the same charge. Not for any new activity. No kidding.

In order to pull a nolle prosequi, the prosecutor has to show “just cause.” In this instance, CA Mr. Morris basically said “Well, gee, Your Honor, we think we may have found a better way to get her.” Which, people, is not “just cause.” But the former-State-Trooper judge I coincidentally keep getting shoved in front of was all like “Anything you want Mr. Morris. Slurp, slurp.”

So. The only thing that has changed is rather than the opposition being confined to substantiating the allegation within the scope of August 24, 2009 - August 24, 2010, the range goes from August 30, 2009 - August 30, 2010 -- the date they clicked the cuffs on me the first time ‘round for this. No new activity.

Oh. And I now have two arrests on my record for the same effin thing, involving the same effin people, and the same effin “evidence.” There is that.

Legal manipulation at its finest.

Kinda like ending up with Obstruction of Justice convictions in two different places for the same incident -- one in the City of Charlottesville, the other in Albemarle County.

Good thing I like balance… symmetry… stuff in pairs… all that. Yeah.

Ahem. To continue. I have a new trial date. In December.

Details from Wednesday:

• 32 degrees is not a comfortable temperature for a government building.
• It didn’t take as many hours to get to the point as it did the time before, but it might as well have.
• I was once more offered this joke of a “deal.” Naturally it wasn’t until I once more refused it that I was arrested and re-charged.
• ATFers David Stone and Michael Moore were present. Nice of them to come all the way from Washington to not testify in a planned-non-occurring trial. They will again be traveling all the way from Washington in December. Have I mentioned this is a misdemeanor case?
• I dredged my brain but couldn’t for the life of me recall Mr. Stone’s name; I had to look it up when I got home.
• Additional officers present included Charlottesville Detective Todd Lucas, Greene County Investigator Rodney Snead, and The Complainant. I didn’t see CPD Detective Nicholas Rudman, though that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. Have I mentioned this is a misdemeanor case?
• Not a shocker, Mr. Stone self-segregated in the special room with the other shield-swinging snoots. In remarkable contrast, Mr. Moore actually sat on a bench in the courtroom with all us riffraff. I think he just likes to show off his super-sparkly shoes. But it was cool to see him in there regardless.
  
• I am out on a $2500.00 (personal recognizance) bond. I don’t even remember if that’s the same amount as it was before or if it’s the sole different thing to break up the monotony.

Cryptic Grape Juice

So I’ve gathered that members of the ATF can be identified, in, uh, certain places, under lowercase first initial/middle initial/last name. For example:

jastoltz
mamoore
jrhealey

While US Attorneys go with capitalized first initial/last name:

AGiorno
NHealey

Hmm… I wonder if Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Agent David Stone finished that report of his yet. I think he should email me a copy.

Today’s Entry Brought To You By The Letters ATF

Four cars with guys from the ATF in Washington showed up at my place this morning to “talk” to me. That’s right, four. With ATF Agents. From Washington. For little ol’ me.

(Two of the four, belonging to Agents Michael Moore and Dave Stone.)

I almost never answer the door to people I don’t know, so when I heard the knock this morning and, through the peephole, saw a couple of men in ties on the other side, I thought Meh. Jehovah’s Witnesses, and went back to what I was doing pre-interruption.

When the rapping came again, louder and far more insistent, I just knew something bad was up. A peek out the blinds of the window and my earlier thought turned to Oh my God -- FEDS! I mean, suits and shiny shoes? At my little hole in the Ghetto? Come on. Who else could it be?

I watched as two of their vehicles barricaded the parking area and a man standing outside the pair of automobiles fished out his cell phone. Aha! I know this trick. I ran for my own cell phone and toggled the option to “vibrate only” -- right as “Restricted” rang through.

Multiple Agents in attendance, their pounding on my door, their calling my number, their circling outside like vultures... the sad thing is, I know they’re just trying to intimidate me yet it still works on me. I was frightened. Plus, while they were busy terrorizing me they’d also simultaneously targeted for the same treatment members of my family who live nearby. Do you know how hard it is to think and function under such conditions?

I put Mr. Restricted on ignore and dialed my lawyer. Who was in court. After playing a bit of phone tag -- to the ongoing tattoo of knuckles striking the door -- I was advised to not get in a stand-off. A stand-off! Moi in a stand-off? Stand-offs equal dead. I can’t blog if I’m dead.

Ultimately I let the men in.

The sole reason they graced me with their presence is because of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Special Agent John Stoltz. You know, the not-really-a-JADE-Task-Force-Officer JADE Task Force Officer. The one I picked on minimally for site filler weeks ago. The one I insinuated I wouldn’t bother again if he didn’t make ado out of a nothing thing. Mhmm. Him.

What part of “I’ll leave you alone if you leave me alone” is confusing to these fellows? What part of “I don’t respond well to bullying” isn’t sinking in their collective head? You would think at least one affiliate with Law Enforcement -- just one! -- could figure out what does and what does not work with me and, I don’t know, go with it.

It’d be understandable maybe if I’ve been tweaking them lately, but, for the love of logic, my last post is, in part, an apology for my not blogging!

Anyway, I’ve done nothing illegal. (I feel like I should make that my mantra or something.) Apparently I haven’t even done enough to incur a search warrant. Or an interrogation. Or even an official announcement. But they sent four cars. With ATF Agents. From Washington. For little ol’ me.

(Their business card. Yes, really.)