What an "alleged" tangled web we weave, eh Sheriff? There is no end of Good Old Boy network stuff going on here it looks like to me.
That's just my opinion of course. As far as I know, I'm still allowed to have one even if I do tend to use it indiscriminately at times.
Of course he is denying any wrongdoing but I'm thinking there must be something "there" or whoever is behind it wouldn't have gone to the trouble.
There are Free Speech issues here also.
Like I said, messy.
I'd like to see what comes of this.
Terrebonne Sheriff raids house to expose 'Esposedat' anti-corruption blog
HOUMA, La.—Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s deputies raided a home Tuesday in hopes of uncovering who is behind an anti-corruption blog aimed at Sheriff Jerry Larpenter and other local politicians.
“Exposedat” is a blog, claiming to be “Terrebonne Parish’s Underground Watchdog”, that started publishing short articles about politicians and their business dealings in June.
The first post titled, “Black Man and a Noose”, outlined a civil rights lawsuit filed against a company owned by now-Parish President Gordon Dove called VACCO, Inc.
Subsequent articles have called into question business dealings and relationships of other top Terrebonne Parish officials, including Sheriff Larpenter and District Attorney Joseph Waitz, Jr.
Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant on a home in Houma, seizing computers and cell phones, alleging the blog’s author committed criminal defamation against the parish’s new insurance agent, Tony Alford.
The home belonged to Houma Police Officer Wayne Anderson. He denies having any involvement in Exposedat. Deputies took two laptop computers, one of which belonged to his children, and five cell phones.
Anderson is a long-time police officer, formerly serving as a Terrebonne Parish deputy and a New Orleans Police officer.
“I’m not sure if they believe Mr. Anderson is actually the author of such work,” said Matthew Ory, Anderson’s attorney.
The search of Anderson’s home was one of three warrants executed in the Sheriff’s attempts to expose Exposedat, according to Larpenter.
The other two were for computer and Facebook account information.
Exposedat’s Facebook page was created by an account using the pseudonym John Turner.
While Anderson denies any involvement in the blog, even if he did create it, legal experts agree it would very likely be protected speech under the 1st Amendment.
Attorney Mary Ellen Roy said the U.S. Supreme Court has found Louisiana’s criminal defamation statute unconstitutional when it is used “…to punish public expression and publication concerning public officials, public figures and private individuals who are engaged in public affairs.”
Oh, there's more, you can read about it here, plus there is a video.
6 comments:
Terrebone Parish had better warm up its checkbook and check to see if its liability insurance is up-to-date. A second-year law student from a fourth-tier law school could win the upcoming Federal civil rights case.
I am glad the sheriff acted it should be a easy win for the blogger . If not it will kill the first amendment as far as the internet. Decent and exposing corruption is scarring our rulers.
CoonAss law in Terrebone Parish. When you're south of I-20 in Louisiana don't expect the Rule of Law to apply. There are little banana republic Tater-Dicks running many of those Parishes.
later,
-Moe
Sorry, I meant to say Interstate 10.
this is how the emphire operates
Wildflower
my uncle was a deputy sheriff in some 1 streetlight city in Alabama yrs ago.The mayor's son was drunk,crossed the line and killed a girl in a head on collision.My uncle wrote his report as such,and turned it in to the sheriff.The sheriff asked if he was going to stand by the report,uncle said yes,the sheriff told him he'd better be out of the state by sunrise...
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