Rather than KSHN All NINE minority owner Bill Buchanan simply endure insincere congratulations all week for his newly contrived selection into the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, why don’t you guys give him an award? Liberty Dispatch could select Brazen Billy for another award in which people will truly be pleased he receives it and feel he is worthy. This award would not require any “secret” campaign avoiding any naysayers. This award wouldn’t come from a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality. This award would be from the hearts of many of the people who didn’t get a say because of the “secret project” to get him recognized by people who don’t know him like we do.
The award needs to be made from a local group because as Mary Ann Campbell told Vanessa Brashier, “You’ve got to give people credit for what they do.” After all when Ms. Campbell told that organization in Austin that Buchanan is “all over the entire area giving out information — giving us all the information that they can provide” and that “they never stop, 24-7 ”, they had no idea of some of the antics and deception and misreporting that would fall under that declaration!
The award could still associate his name with the Hall of Fame. Just think of incidents through the years when Bill has pushed his way into a family tragedy in progress and been insensitive to their grieving. How about the “Asshole Hall of Fame”?
Or think of “eye witness sports reporting” like all of the times he has acted like a baseball has been hit “way way back” towards the outfield fence and after exciting his audience he has left the fact the shortstop caught the ball unexplained. He could be put into the “Overly Dramatic, Blind or Stupid Sports Announcer Hall of Fame”.
Or, maybe if we want to try and dig up some Austin people who have had dealings with our hall of famer, we could see if the Secretary of State’s office has recordings from Bill when he has called to “clear up an election question.” This would have to fall under the “Liberty County Democrat Hall of Fame”. Bill’s dogged perseverance in trying to get someone to say something even remotely like Democrats needed to hear is legendary among some. His creative shaping of the news and devoted “by any means necessary” assistance to the Archers and his favorite Democrats is infamous.
Since Brashier’s newspapers made certain they mentioned all of Buchanan long hours during the hurricane, why not consider giving him the “I Got Phil Fitzgerald’s Back No Matter What Award”? Maybe the people in Austin have the same disregard for punishing people who make themselves wealthy from their little convoluted dirty FEMA deals, but I doubt it and I doubt they would appreciate the extent to which Buchanan spun news stories to try and help Fitzgerald.
But when thinking of Buchanan’s deliberate efforts to change the outcome of court cases like Fitzgerald’s, why have such a narrow sounding name for the award when Buchanan’s work has been so prolific in this area? The award needs to cover his determined efforts to leave all of the weight and punishment of the law on Janet Harrelson so he could help save the Democrats from a much bigger scandal and make Greg Arthur and Don Taylor and others feel indebted to him. The award needs to cover the deliberate lies and cherry picking he has applied to his contribution to help try and bury Ray Akins and Eddie Shauberger under the jail. It needs to include his total purposeful lack of reporting on former Liberty County Democratic Party Chairman Liz Beausoliel getting caught on tape with stolen mail from the courthouse in an attempt to use false information to help defeat our longest serving district judge. It needs to include all of the public figures Buchanan has covered up for and all of the ones he has elevated while ignoring their lawbreaking.
Maybe we should call the people in Austin who gave Buchanan their award and ask them to help us with a name worthy of a person that has given to Liberty County what he has given. I don’t know what the name of the award should be. Maybe “The Evil through the Airways Hall of Fame Award”.
Whatever it may be we need to give him an award. We don’t want Austin people to have to be pressured and cajoled into recognizing one of Liberty County’s citizens achievements.
Name withheld because of retaliation by corrupt local officials and corrupt local media.
FONTENOT”S SINKHOLE AND THE REST OF THE COUNTY BUDGET
Recent budget workshops by our elected officials have revealed that in the past Liberty County’s Democratic county officials got so entrenched in the habit of continuously asking for more money that the new Republican officials and the remainder of Democrats will have to cut their budgets 25%. The money shortage is serious and could take years of watching our spending to straighten out. Readers will see at the end of this report that one of the Democrats still doesn’t get it.
The good news is the crazy spending and the expansion of local government in the past can be remedied in the future. County Judge McNair has proposed consolidating the six Justice of the Peace offices and six Constables into four, which is the number for many other Texas counties. We are one of the few counties with six JPs and six Constables, but the decision to consolidate the offices would take action and final approval by the entire commissioner’s court. “There are no vendettas or anyone out to get anybody.”
County Auditor Harold Seay listed some of the major cuts in each department.
1) County Judge’s budget was cut by $62,000 by eliminating the position former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald added, Special Projects/FEMA manager Dennis Odell will serve his last day at the end of September.. Attorney fees for commissioners court was cut by $70,000.
2) The District Attorney’s office was cut by $150,000 mainly through salaries. The County Court-at-Law budget for court-appointed attorneys was cut by $75,000.
3) The county auditor’s budget was cut by $40,000.
4) Part-time positions in the JP courts 3, 4, 5 and 6 were cut to reduce expenses.
5) The Information Technology department was cut from $143,000 to $75,000.
6) The building maintenance department was cut by $56,000.
7) The fire marshal’s office was cut by $12,000. Of this amount, $10,000 was for meeting attendance by volunteer firefighters.
8) The sheriff’s office received $60,000 in cuts in capital outlays and a $10,000 cut in fuel.
9) Emergency Management was cut by $50,000.
But among all of the talk of cuts and shared sacrifice Precinct 1 Commissioner Todd Fontenot reminded us that there are still officeholders in our county government who would like to charge things and claim they are long term money savers. It reminds many of us of the Democrats and the RINO Republicans in Washington DC. Fontenot again requested $81,000 in funds to build a two-acre yard/facility which would house equipment and store materials. Fontenot was warned several years ago if he pushed for redistricting precinct #1 commissioner boundaries across the river that he would come back whining for taxpayers to build him a second barn to store county equipment. Well now he wants to charge a county that is having money troubles for formulating a district to suit his political strategy. According to his own figures, Fontenot’s impractical economically unfeasible redistricting scheme has cost the county over $250,000. It is a sink hole that keeps adding extra expenses to taxpayer.
Todd Fontenot is up for re-election in 16 months and if he decides to face the voters after all of the drunken sailor-like spending, the private parking, and his expensive waste of taxpayer money in the last redistricting, we will get a chance to let him know how much we love this county by voting him out of office.
In the meantime, instead of building Todd Fontenot a building, how about using this time of redistricting the commissioners’ precincts more wisely and with the taxpayer in mind rather than the politicians.
The good news is the crazy spending and the expansion of local government in the past can be remedied in the future. County Judge McNair has proposed consolidating the six Justice of the Peace offices and six Constables into four, which is the number for many other Texas counties. We are one of the few counties with six JPs and six Constables, but the decision to consolidate the offices would take action and final approval by the entire commissioner’s court. “There are no vendettas or anyone out to get anybody.”
County Auditor Harold Seay listed some of the major cuts in each department.
1) County Judge’s budget was cut by $62,000 by eliminating the position former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald added, Special Projects/FEMA manager Dennis Odell will serve his last day at the end of September.. Attorney fees for commissioners court was cut by $70,000.
2) The District Attorney’s office was cut by $150,000 mainly through salaries. The County Court-at-Law budget for court-appointed attorneys was cut by $75,000.
3) The county auditor’s budget was cut by $40,000.
4) Part-time positions in the JP courts 3, 4, 5 and 6 were cut to reduce expenses.
5) The Information Technology department was cut from $143,000 to $75,000.
6) The building maintenance department was cut by $56,000.
7) The fire marshal’s office was cut by $12,000. Of this amount, $10,000 was for meeting attendance by volunteer firefighters.
8) The sheriff’s office received $60,000 in cuts in capital outlays and a $10,000 cut in fuel.
9) Emergency Management was cut by $50,000.
But among all of the talk of cuts and shared sacrifice Precinct 1 Commissioner Todd Fontenot reminded us that there are still officeholders in our county government who would like to charge things and claim they are long term money savers. It reminds many of us of the Democrats and the RINO Republicans in Washington DC. Fontenot again requested $81,000 in funds to build a two-acre yard/facility which would house equipment and store materials. Fontenot was warned several years ago if he pushed for redistricting precinct #1 commissioner boundaries across the river that he would come back whining for taxpayers to build him a second barn to store county equipment. Well now he wants to charge a county that is having money troubles for formulating a district to suit his political strategy. According to his own figures, Fontenot’s impractical economically unfeasible redistricting scheme has cost the county over $250,000. It is a sink hole that keeps adding extra expenses to taxpayer.
Todd Fontenot is up for re-election in 16 months and if he decides to face the voters after all of the drunken sailor-like spending, the private parking, and his expensive waste of taxpayer money in the last redistricting, we will get a chance to let him know how much we love this county by voting him out of office.
In the meantime, instead of building Todd Fontenot a building, how about using this time of redistricting the commissioners’ precincts more wisely and with the taxpayer in mind rather than the politicians.
LCSO ZERO TOLERANCE BURN BAN
Yesterday afternoon at approximately 4:00pm firefighters from Tarkington, Cleveland and Highway 321 Fire Departments fought a fire which was directly caused by a person who disregarded the Liberty County Burn Ban. Numerous Fire Fighters, Fire Apparatus and resources were allocated to combat, contain and control this fire on Tarkington Prairie.
This region is under a drought with very little rainfall in the last 4 to 6 months. These conditions along with high warm winds and dry timber combine into prime conditions for a raging fire which could damage, destroy and kill anything in its path. While simply “burning my trash” may seem like a “right” or “privilege” , fire is not something to gamble with. This fire could have been much more destructive by burning down several residences nearby and killed horses located in an adjacent pasture. The wear and tear of Firefighters and their equipment is also a serious consideration. Accidental and Electrical fires are tragic enough, however, fire such as these, which can be prevented by just obeying the Burn Ban. These fires are a terrible tax on the Fire Departments as a whole and our community.
In this incident, the person responsible had dug a large “burn pit” near several structures, including a residence. A fire had been intentionally ignited earlier in the day and allowed to burn down and smolder. However, with the warm high winds and extremely dry conditions, the fire was able to re-ignite and spread. With the high temperature and no cloud cover, firefighters worked tirelessly through the harsh conditions to rapidly bring the fire under control and save the residence which was threatened by the spreading fire.
As a reminder, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office want to warn citizens there is a “zero tolerance” policy in place for any Liberty County “Burn Ban” violation. Any person found in violation shall be subject to being issued a Criminal Citation and can be subject to Criminal Arrest.
LCSO Special Crimes Unit, Deputy Guthrie and Team Raids Meth Lab Opperation.
Deputies from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the LCSO Special Crimes Unit, headed by Louis Guthrie, have been developing a case in regards to a Methamphetamine Lab located on Highway 59 just north of the City Limits of Cleveland. The Special Crimes Unit working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, has been specifically targeting these extremely dangerous and explosive criminal operations with success.
On Monday, July 11, 2011, Deputies and Investigators from the LCSO arrived at a tire shop combined with a group of several buildings on Highway 59. Upon their arrival, they interrupted a “meth cook” who was actually in the process of “cooking” methamphetamine. “ This was an extremely dangerous and difficult arrest which had the potential to cause a fire or explosion due to the chemical vapors present during the manufacturing process”, said Louis Guthrie.
There were also two mini-vans located on the property which were being used as “mobile meth labs” which are designed and built for the sole purpose of manufacturing and transporting methamphetamine. A large amount of product, by-product, instruments and supplies were confiscated by the LCSO. Thousands of dollars “street amount” of methamphetamine seized. With the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety, members of both organizations, who are specially trained and certified in the dismantling and processing of these criminal operations spent all afternoon in high heat conditions securing the evidence obtained.
Two arrests were made. Both suspects are in custody at the Liberty County Jail. At this time their information is being withheld, pending further investigation, leading to additional arrests. The LCSO shall continue their efforts to combat these dangerous criminal operations which operate within different areas of Liberty County. Many of these operations are brought to light with the help of good citizens who care enough about their communities and provide vital information which assists Law Enforcement in locating and dismantling these criminal operations.
Sheriff Patterson and the members of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office want to thank everyone who takes time to help us combat any suspicious or criminal activity. As always, we encourage citizens to call us at 936-336-4500 or use our web site located at www.libertytxsheriff.com , click on the Crime Stoppers Tab. Your identity shall remain anonymous. Only working together can we truly make a difference in providing a safer community for our families.
Big Fish Story
I am not from here and I am sure he has his fans, but it is more than I can bear to remain silent about the constant bragging of former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald’s special appointee to aid him with FEMA, Dennis Odell. There have been at least six verifiable first account witnesses to Odell bragging about taking Phil Fitzgerald and Lee Groce down. Let it suffice to say without any dramatic exaggeration, Odell is extremely proud of his role in sending the man that hired him when he needed a job to prison.
But after getting over the irritation caused by an exposure to Odell’s almost steroid like ego, his claim to what he considers fame should be analyzed.
If a man catches a twenty pound catfish, should the person who lent him the fishing pole he caught the big fish with brag about catching the same catfish? Surely not... If the person who lent the man a fishing pole brags about catching the big fish and is later found out to have not only not helped caught the fish but to have actually impeded the reeling in of the fish, what does that tells us about the braggart?
Several people including federal investigators, a local judge, and others have helped to bring justice to the investigation Dennis Odell brags to people about prosecuting. Among the people please note the troubling revelation that both of the chief prosecutors in the courthouse Mike Little and Wes Hinch, contributed nothing to this case. Odell is slightly better than them. He did not burn or destroy any of the paperwork generated by doing his job. But possibly worse than Little and Hinch’s role in the matter, Odell missed an opportunity to stop the crimes while in progress. The paperwork coming into Odell’s office generated by loads of debris is alleged to have indicated discrepancies that should have tipped Odell off. Odell doesn’t brag about this aspect of his part in nabbing the criminals involved in this case.
Odell is like a man that owned a fishing pole that did nothing with it. Odell could have helped protect taxpayers from getting the shaft, but he flubbed his opportunity. He was a no show the day he should have reported problems with FEMA statistics. Now he is showing up to brag about what someone else caught.
Now it is time to see who is going to come to the plate and suggest the job former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald hired Odell to do be vacated. It is time to save the county some money and save all of us hearing fish stories from the guy who was hired to watch out for us and failed.
But after getting over the irritation caused by an exposure to Odell’s almost steroid like ego, his claim to what he considers fame should be analyzed.
If a man catches a twenty pound catfish, should the person who lent him the fishing pole he caught the big fish with brag about catching the same catfish? Surely not... If the person who lent the man a fishing pole brags about catching the big fish and is later found out to have not only not helped caught the fish but to have actually impeded the reeling in of the fish, what does that tells us about the braggart?
Several people including federal investigators, a local judge, and others have helped to bring justice to the investigation Dennis Odell brags to people about prosecuting. Among the people please note the troubling revelation that both of the chief prosecutors in the courthouse Mike Little and Wes Hinch, contributed nothing to this case. Odell is slightly better than them. He did not burn or destroy any of the paperwork generated by doing his job. But possibly worse than Little and Hinch’s role in the matter, Odell missed an opportunity to stop the crimes while in progress. The paperwork coming into Odell’s office generated by loads of debris is alleged to have indicated discrepancies that should have tipped Odell off. Odell doesn’t brag about this aspect of his part in nabbing the criminals involved in this case.
Odell is like a man that owned a fishing pole that did nothing with it. Odell could have helped protect taxpayers from getting the shaft, but he flubbed his opportunity. He was a no show the day he should have reported problems with FEMA statistics. Now he is showing up to brag about what someone else caught.
Now it is time to see who is going to come to the plate and suggest the job former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald hired Odell to do be vacated. It is time to save the county some money and save all of us hearing fish stories from the guy who was hired to watch out for us and failed.
Psycho Truck Driving Kidnapper Nabbed
In the early morning hours of July 9, 2011, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in reference to a kidnapping incident. The first call received by the LCSO to this incident came from the City of Humble Police Department, Harris County at approximately 1a.m.
According to information received via Humble P.D., two vehicles, a pick-up truck and an eighteen wheeler had been called into authorities by other motorist as “reckless driving towards one another”. Humble Police Officers were able to locate and stop both vehicles on Highway 59, just north of Rankin Rd. Upon stopping both vehicles, Humble Police Officers learned the persons in the pick-up truck had been aggressively following the eighteen wheeler due to the driver of the eighteen wheeler had allegedly kidnapped a female from an unknown location on Highway 59 in Liberty County. Deputies from the LCSO proceeded to Highway 59 and Rankin Rd. in Harris Co. to meet with Humble Police and investigate this incident further. While this investigation was ongoing, several of the southbound lanes of Highway 59 remained closed.
Working together, Law Enforcement Officers determined there was probable cause to place the driver of the eighteen wheeler into custody for the Felony Offense of Kidnapping. The lone victim, a young adult female of Liberty County, was injured as a result of this incident. The suspect, identified as Reeves, Joseph of Gulfport, Miss was transported to the Liberty County Jail. The eighteen wheeler was towed back to a location in Liberty County and the owner was notified as to the whereabouts of the vehicle.
At this time, due to the traumatic nature of this incident, the identity of the victim is being withheld. The suspect, Mr. Reeves, who has a criminal history stemming back to the 1970’s remains in the Liberty County Jail under a $750,000.00 bond.
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