County Judge Craig McNair voted to break a 2-2 tie in favor of the emergency shelter project that would buy additional land and use $2 million worth of federal grant money to construct it. The vote was along party lines with Democrat Precinct 1 Commissioner Todd Fontenot and Democrat Precinct 3 Commissioner Melvin Hunt voting “no” and Republican County Judge Craig McNair joining Republican Commissioner Charlotte Warner and Republican Commissioner Norman Brown voting “yes”.
Commissioner Fontenot continues to openly resist any strategies proposed by Republicans to save the county money. Fontenot was part of the commissioner’s court, along with Melvin Hunt, who plunged nearly $2 million in the old Wal-Mart building without having a strategy to develop the property. Now Fontenot wants to throw good money away to try and fix the poorly thought out investment him and former Commissioner Lee Groce and former County Judge Phil Fitzgerald sunk taxpayers’ money into. In the absence of Fitzgerald, Fontenot has no rational defense of keeping this property. He seems to be in a rut of just voting to spend, spend, and spend. At least Fitzgerald was thought by many to be out beating the bush to find a good deal.
Fontenot said, “We have existing property and buildings and the end result of all of this is less facility because of less money.”
Fontenot continues to display this same attitude in all of his decisions. His attitude about taking a huge building on prime property off of the tax rolls and having no concrete plans of how to use most of it is an example of his lack of business sense and a disregard for taxpayer money.
This attitude is not surprising from Fontenot however. He has expensive elitist taste and a deceptive method of passing the cost of his taste onto the taxpayers. If he runs for re-election he will brag about not raising taxes, but Fontenot has repeatedly dug into taxpayer pockets by creating bonds or debt in all of the county taxpayers’ names – that may be worse than raising taxes because it postpones the bills like a credit card for future taxpayers.
Fontenot displays his arrogance on a daily basis in many overt ways besides his “buy the biggest and the best” attitude. In the midst of the budget crunch he helped because he lobbied hard for a new precinct barn in the expanded area he was warned was too far from the existing barn. He continues to put a hold on one of the coveted parking places near the courthouse steps with the only reserved parking place for a commissioner in the history of Liberty County. He was indignant about one of his political lieutenants being part of the budget cuts despite reports she does very little work and public revelation that she is an important part of his political machine.
So who can possibly be surprised that Fontenot wants to keep the huge Wal-Mart building rather than sell it and then claim he is saving money by not purchasing a much smaller less expensive building with the federal grant.
Local Liberty County Democrats like to act like they have nothing in common with the tax and spend Democrats in Washington D.C., but their actions speak louder than their campaign lies.
THE CONSTITUTION AND THE D.A.’S OFFICE
Within four days of celebrating the United States Constitution (September 17, 1787), Liberty County will have a firsthand look at how our Founding Fathers did when they set up a justice system based on the rule of law. James Madison and company envisioned a country with a judicial system that was no respecter of persons. As part of our desire to educate Americans on our Constitution, this country has set the 17th day of September aside and four days later all Liberty County citizens will see Madison’s efforts in our own little corner of the worlds.
On Wednesday September 21st Special Prosecutor Kelly Siegler will present a compelling case against Assistant District Attorney Joe Warren to the Grand Jury.
This case, perhaps more than any casein recent county history, will either assure the common hard working taxpayer in Liberty County that even people high up on the food chain must follow the law or face a jury of their peers or it will send a warning that maybe even our Grand Jury is not above suspicion.
In June, ADA Joe Warren was arrested and charged by the Liberty County Sheriffs Department with witness tampering, terroristic threats and deadly conduct as a result of the aftermath of his dog allegedly digging under the fence and attacking a puppy in the next door neighbor’s yard. The charges allege that Warren drove from the courthouse home and that he got a gun and threatened the neighbors and their two dogs after the two dogs responded to Warren’s dog trespassing and attacking a puppy in the same yard as them.
Increasing the controversy surrounding this case, was the refusal of District Attorney Mike Little to investigate the charges or to put his employee on administrative leave until the case is resolved.
Mike Little and the D.A.’s office have an ongoing relationship with the Grand Jury process and the lack of pursuit of this case has the potential to draw in the Houston media.
On Wednesday September 21st Special Prosecutor Kelly Siegler will present a compelling case against Assistant District Attorney Joe Warren to the Grand Jury.
This case, perhaps more than any casein recent county history, will either assure the common hard working taxpayer in Liberty County that even people high up on the food chain must follow the law or face a jury of their peers or it will send a warning that maybe even our Grand Jury is not above suspicion.
In June, ADA Joe Warren was arrested and charged by the Liberty County Sheriffs Department with witness tampering, terroristic threats and deadly conduct as a result of the aftermath of his dog allegedly digging under the fence and attacking a puppy in the next door neighbor’s yard. The charges allege that Warren drove from the courthouse home and that he got a gun and threatened the neighbors and their two dogs after the two dogs responded to Warren’s dog trespassing and attacking a puppy in the same yard as them.
Increasing the controversy surrounding this case, was the refusal of District Attorney Mike Little to investigate the charges or to put his employee on administrative leave until the case is resolved.
Mike Little and the D.A.’s office have an ongoing relationship with the Grand Jury process and the lack of pursuit of this case has the potential to draw in the Houston media.
Pastor who helped flock rebuild facing charges Ex-partners claim Oak Island preacher falsified records in an alleged scheme PASTOR: Resident of Liberty has run for office, always unsuccessfully
Reprint Courtesy Cindy Horswell and CHRON - Wed 06/03/2009 Houston Chronicle
The pastor of Oak Island Baptist Church, Eddie Shauberger, was a charismatic force when he preached his first sermon after Hurricane Ike had ravaged the fishing village overlooking Trinity Bay in Chambers County. He told his small congregation seated on a concrete slab how to envision healing rather than the destruction engulfing them.
He quickly became a voice for the 300 families there, who had lost nearly everything, including boats used to catch the blue crabs that provided their livelihood. Their church was left a muddy, water-soaked shell with blown-out windows. Donations began to pour in.
But this past Sunday, Shauberger had to speak from the pulpit after being released on $10,000 bond from a Liberty County jail. His sermon made no mention that he now faces felony charges that accuse him of tampering with government records in an alleged scheme to defraud his former partners in a home health care business.
Shauberger and two brothers, Albert and Robert Palmarez, were jointly operating Immanuel Home Health Care Inc. in Liberty when Shauberger accepted the preaching position in Oak Island three years ago. The brothers have since accused Shauberger in a pending civil lawsuit of using falsified documents to embezzle thousands of dollars from them, their attorney John Falson said.
The recent felony charges involve the same documents that Falson said were being used to seize the health care business without the Palmarez brothers' knowledge: a change of ownership form signed by Shauberger and submitted to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability, and articles of dissolution filed by Shauberger with the Texas secretary of state.
About 20 left church
Today, some church members continue to praise Shauberger for his compassion and dedication in soliciting donations to restore Oak Island.
Yet others view Shauberger as more of an opportunist than their savior. About 20 of his critics have left the church and called upon him to resign - complaining of inadequate financial oversight and worrying that his arrest will stymie future contributions.
Shauberger, however, has no intention of relinquishing the pulpit: "The charges against me are absolutely false. All I can tell you is that I'm pleading not guilty."
While Shauberger denies any wrongdoing, he also points to a complaint he filed last year in Denton County. It resulted in Robert Palmarez being charged with forging Shauberger's name to withdraw money from the home health care business. Palmarez's civil attorney said he has evidence the money was used to pay outstanding obligations. A trial is set for Aug. 9.
Although he has no seminary training and his only experience was as a deacon, 54-year-old Shauberger was picked over other candidates to become Oak Island's pastor because of his stirring oratory, members said. At first, Shauberger served as interim pastor, then preached Sundays while still operating the health care business, and finally took over full time after Ike struck in September. The business provided medical workers to assist elderly patients in their homes.
Shauberger continues to commute to the church from Liberty, where he raised his seven children and ran for public office a dozen times. He lost each election - including his last one in 2002 for state representative - but never let that discourage him.
Since being released on bond, he said he has met informally with church leaders, and they want him to stay. He declined to name who was present except one area farmer, Floyd Edmond.
"I don't know about these indictments," Edmond said. "But Shauberger is a man of God. He's helped everybody down here."
Another member who drives the church bus, Kenneth Standley, agreed: "We've talked amongst ourselves and all feel we want to see the real truth or evidence. He's not been proven guilty yet."
Fund use questioned
But Theresa Barrett, the managing editor of the local newspaper and who also lost her home in Oak Island, thinks Shauberger should step aside until the charges against him are resolved.
Mark Pagels, who was the Oak Island Baptist Church music director, and his wife, Darlene, who played the piano, are among those who left the church. The Pagels expressed concern about lax safeguards of incoming donations. They questioned whether a Hurricane Ike recovery fund managed by the church should be used to increase Shauberger's salary from $1,000 to $3,000 a month and pay his wife $10 an hour.
Shuaberger bristled at these accusations, saying no audit has been done but a church treasurer keeps track of all the funds. The treasurer, Kathy Kisner, declined to return phone calls.
The dispute has intensified to the point that it has resulted in personal attacks and inflammatory writings on Internet blogs.
Sue Hawthorne, a church member and councilwoman of a nearby town, wants to see the fighting stop. "I don't believe that will happen until Shauberger is gone," she said.
cindy.horswell@chron.com
The pastor of Oak Island Baptist Church, Eddie Shauberger, was a charismatic force when he preached his first sermon after Hurricane Ike had ravaged the fishing village overlooking Trinity Bay in Chambers County. He told his small congregation seated on a concrete slab how to envision healing rather than the destruction engulfing them.
He quickly became a voice for the 300 families there, who had lost nearly everything, including boats used to catch the blue crabs that provided their livelihood. Their church was left a muddy, water-soaked shell with blown-out windows. Donations began to pour in.
But this past Sunday, Shauberger had to speak from the pulpit after being released on $10,000 bond from a Liberty County jail. His sermon made no mention that he now faces felony charges that accuse him of tampering with government records in an alleged scheme to defraud his former partners in a home health care business.
Shauberger and two brothers, Albert and Robert Palmarez, were jointly operating Immanuel Home Health Care Inc. in Liberty when Shauberger accepted the preaching position in Oak Island three years ago. The brothers have since accused Shauberger in a pending civil lawsuit of using falsified documents to embezzle thousands of dollars from them, their attorney John Falson said.
The recent felony charges involve the same documents that Falson said were being used to seize the health care business without the Palmarez brothers' knowledge: a change of ownership form signed by Shauberger and submitted to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability, and articles of dissolution filed by Shauberger with the Texas secretary of state.
About 20 left church
Today, some church members continue to praise Shauberger for his compassion and dedication in soliciting donations to restore Oak Island.
Yet others view Shauberger as more of an opportunist than their savior. About 20 of his critics have left the church and called upon him to resign - complaining of inadequate financial oversight and worrying that his arrest will stymie future contributions.
Shauberger, however, has no intention of relinquishing the pulpit: "The charges against me are absolutely false. All I can tell you is that I'm pleading not guilty."
While Shauberger denies any wrongdoing, he also points to a complaint he filed last year in Denton County. It resulted in Robert Palmarez being charged with forging Shauberger's name to withdraw money from the home health care business. Palmarez's civil attorney said he has evidence the money was used to pay outstanding obligations. A trial is set for Aug. 9.
Although he has no seminary training and his only experience was as a deacon, 54-year-old Shauberger was picked over other candidates to become Oak Island's pastor because of his stirring oratory, members said. At first, Shauberger served as interim pastor, then preached Sundays while still operating the health care business, and finally took over full time after Ike struck in September. The business provided medical workers to assist elderly patients in their homes.
Shauberger continues to commute to the church from Liberty, where he raised his seven children and ran for public office a dozen times. He lost each election - including his last one in 2002 for state representative - but never let that discourage him.
Since being released on bond, he said he has met informally with church leaders, and they want him to stay. He declined to name who was present except one area farmer, Floyd Edmond.
"I don't know about these indictments," Edmond said. "But Shauberger is a man of God. He's helped everybody down here."
Another member who drives the church bus, Kenneth Standley, agreed: "We've talked amongst ourselves and all feel we want to see the real truth or evidence. He's not been proven guilty yet."
Fund use questioned
But Theresa Barrett, the managing editor of the local newspaper and who also lost her home in Oak Island, thinks Shauberger should step aside until the charges against him are resolved.
Mark Pagels, who was the Oak Island Baptist Church music director, and his wife, Darlene, who played the piano, are among those who left the church. The Pagels expressed concern about lax safeguards of incoming donations. They questioned whether a Hurricane Ike recovery fund managed by the church should be used to increase Shauberger's salary from $1,000 to $3,000 a month and pay his wife $10 an hour.
Shuaberger bristled at these accusations, saying no audit has been done but a church treasurer keeps track of all the funds. The treasurer, Kathy Kisner, declined to return phone calls.
The dispute has intensified to the point that it has resulted in personal attacks and inflammatory writings on Internet blogs.
Sue Hawthorne, a church member and councilwoman of a nearby town, wants to see the fighting stop. "I don't believe that will happen until Shauberger is gone," she said.
cindy.horswell@chron.com
LITTLE KNOWN SECRET- FREE HEALTHCARE IN LIBERTY COUNTY, TEXAS
Few people in and around Texas know that if you go to the hospital in Liberty County, taxpayers in Liberty County will foot the bill.
The Liberty Hospital started out like any other community hospital and operated for years. Then one day the hospital started not paying its bills. With the hospital employers paying themselves more than the hospital could bill- the Obama Syndrome began.
To the rescue comes C. Bruce Stratton a local and some say a very liberal Democrat attorney. Stratton envisioned a hospital district that would tax the land owners in Liberty County and then reimburse the hospital when indigent or non-paid medical bills accrued.
In a strange twist of events, the formed hospital district waited until the hospital owners were in such poor financial shape they could swoop in and threaten civil legal action and with threats of trumped up criminal indictments by Liberty County DA Mike Little. Liberty County, notorious for shake downs, cartels and selective prosecutions, the hospital owners turned tail and ran.
In steps C. Bruce Stratton and company... (hospital district) his quandary was how to take over ownership of the hospital by the hospital district without the district actually owning the hospital. You see, one of the bylaws of the hospital district was that it plays an erroneous role in support of liberal/democrat funding acts, not ownership of the hospital.
In a criminal flash of inspiration, C. Bruce Stratton creates a series of shell corporations which effectively steal the hospital and sell it for a token amount to the shell corporation/s, a series and layers of corporations which eventually down the line of shells stop at a corporation owned by the hospital district.
Liberty County taxpayers have unwittingly been duped into owning a machine built and designed to provide termed medical treatment to anyone who traipses through Liberty County with or without money for treatment.
The money banked from taxpayers as scalped by the Liberty Hospital District is a financial formula for disaster and one diametrically opposed by our Republican Party, TEA Party and conservative platform.
When indigents find out about this free medical hospital, illegals and others from far and wide will come to have free childbirths and procedures.
The future of this taxpayer scheme is unknown but… what we know for sure is that a legally questionable entity has been created to get an ever increasing amount of our money and for generations to come.
Contributor, Ray Akins
The Liberty Hospital started out like any other community hospital and operated for years. Then one day the hospital started not paying its bills. With the hospital employers paying themselves more than the hospital could bill- the Obama Syndrome began.
To the rescue comes C. Bruce Stratton a local and some say a very liberal Democrat attorney. Stratton envisioned a hospital district that would tax the land owners in Liberty County and then reimburse the hospital when indigent or non-paid medical bills accrued.
In a strange twist of events, the formed hospital district waited until the hospital owners were in such poor financial shape they could swoop in and threaten civil legal action and with threats of trumped up criminal indictments by Liberty County DA Mike Little. Liberty County, notorious for shake downs, cartels and selective prosecutions, the hospital owners turned tail and ran.
In steps C. Bruce Stratton and company... (hospital district) his quandary was how to take over ownership of the hospital by the hospital district without the district actually owning the hospital. You see, one of the bylaws of the hospital district was that it plays an erroneous role in support of liberal/democrat funding acts, not ownership of the hospital.
In a criminal flash of inspiration, C. Bruce Stratton creates a series of shell corporations which effectively steal the hospital and sell it for a token amount to the shell corporation/s, a series and layers of corporations which eventually down the line of shells stop at a corporation owned by the hospital district.
Liberty County taxpayers have unwittingly been duped into owning a machine built and designed to provide termed medical treatment to anyone who traipses through Liberty County with or without money for treatment.
The money banked from taxpayers as scalped by the Liberty Hospital District is a financial formula for disaster and one diametrically opposed by our Republican Party, TEA Party and conservative platform.
When indigents find out about this free medical hospital, illegals and others from far and wide will come to have free childbirths and procedures.
The future of this taxpayer scheme is unknown but… what we know for sure is that a legally questionable entity has been created to get an ever increasing amount of our money and for generations to come.
Contributor, Ray Akins
Brashier- in the Tank to Help the D.A.
Assistant District Attorney Joe Warren was arrested on charges of Tampering with a Witness, Terroristic Threats and Deadly Conduct related to an incident that allegedly took place a year earlier. It seems to some of us that rather than do her job as a journalist, internet newspaper editor Vanessa Brashier has been steadily trying to help Warren and his controversial boss, District Attorney Mike Little. Forget the justice system and forget the Constitutional protection that gives freedom to the press to search for truth – Vanessa Brashier and Mike Little seem to have some kind of pact. Last week Brashier’s efforts begin anew as she becomes part of the story instead of reporting it.
This quote is the newest in her attempt to prejudice the potential jury pool: “When no local judge would sign the arrest warrant against Warren, it was taken to and signed by a judge outside the county, Judge Don Burgess.” That information could have been communicated like this: “Even though some have said three local judges were willing to sit in judgment, for appearance and to uphold the highest standard, the senior most experienced standby judge, Judge Don Burgess, was brought in to insure a fair trial.
Though Brashier quotes crime scene reports that seem to be trying to paint a picture of what happened, a picture of the scene shows that Warren’s dog clearly dug under the fence and was the attacker. Either Brashier is incompetent and has not discovered the picture that settles the fact that Joe Warren’s dog trespassed and started the dog fight. (Before running back under the fence the dog attacked a little puppy before two dogs case after him.) The picture speaks 1000 words, so if Vanessa Brashier is not incompetent and has seen the picture, perhaps it speaks words that do not fit into what she and Mike Little want the public to know.
Despite the charges against him and many complaints of a lack of professionalism, Warren remains an employee of the Liberty County District Attorney’s office on this issue is the cherry on top for anyone wanting to show how she is in the tank for Little and Warren. Brashier’s report last week says Warren was in court handling his assigned cases and she never challenges the weak and ridiculous defense Little has for allowing someone to prosecute cases when under a legal cloud like Warren is.
She simply quotes the D.A.: “I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. He is going to remain employed here.”
Then she asks her readers to accept a very flawed comparison when she mimics Little and says, “Warren is not the first Liberty County official to be arrested, but not immediately removed from his position.”
She knows well the idea of someone prosecuting cases that is headed toward indictment can put a cloud over the entire justice system. But she gladly goes along with Little and never questions why Warren was not put on administrative leave. Instead she really reveals how much of a tool she has become for Little when rather than questioning Little’s poor decision making, she uses a sheriff department employee as an example of why it is okay for Little to let Warren continue to prosecute cases until he is indicted. Little helped convict this guy and Brashier not only crams his name in her story, she also gets another good chuckle with Little when she crams what the man was sentenced to in a story about the soon to come grand jury that will decide Warren’s fate.
The sad thing is that Brashier wanted that sheriff department’s employee to be put on leave back then and now she is using his situation to justify this case. This reporter needs to identify her writing when it is “political editorial” rather than imply it is a news story.
Who cares if she wants certain elected officials to hold certain offices? But plenty of us care if she is using a “newspaper” without identifying her bias. She may fit in well with KSHN”s Bill Buchanan or Allen Youngblood’s i-amawreck.com, but when she expresses things that are clearly meant to influence the outcome of a criminal investigation, she should come clean. Her paper should come clean. They should say we are in the business of helping send people to jail and helping to keep people out of jail and what constitutes their formula for taking the side they take.
Independent prosecutor Kelly Siegler will present the case to the Liberty County grand jury on Sept. 21.
This quote is the newest in her attempt to prejudice the potential jury pool: “When no local judge would sign the arrest warrant against Warren, it was taken to and signed by a judge outside the county, Judge Don Burgess.” That information could have been communicated like this: “Even though some have said three local judges were willing to sit in judgment, for appearance and to uphold the highest standard, the senior most experienced standby judge, Judge Don Burgess, was brought in to insure a fair trial.
Though Brashier quotes crime scene reports that seem to be trying to paint a picture of what happened, a picture of the scene shows that Warren’s dog clearly dug under the fence and was the attacker. Either Brashier is incompetent and has not discovered the picture that settles the fact that Joe Warren’s dog trespassed and started the dog fight. (Before running back under the fence the dog attacked a little puppy before two dogs case after him.) The picture speaks 1000 words, so if Vanessa Brashier is not incompetent and has seen the picture, perhaps it speaks words that do not fit into what she and Mike Little want the public to know.
Despite the charges against him and many complaints of a lack of professionalism, Warren remains an employee of the Liberty County District Attorney’s office on this issue is the cherry on top for anyone wanting to show how she is in the tank for Little and Warren. Brashier’s report last week says Warren was in court handling his assigned cases and she never challenges the weak and ridiculous defense Little has for allowing someone to prosecute cases when under a legal cloud like Warren is.
She simply quotes the D.A.: “I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. He is going to remain employed here.”
Then she asks her readers to accept a very flawed comparison when she mimics Little and says, “Warren is not the first Liberty County official to be arrested, but not immediately removed from his position.”
She knows well the idea of someone prosecuting cases that is headed toward indictment can put a cloud over the entire justice system. But she gladly goes along with Little and never questions why Warren was not put on administrative leave. Instead she really reveals how much of a tool she has become for Little when rather than questioning Little’s poor decision making, she uses a sheriff department employee as an example of why it is okay for Little to let Warren continue to prosecute cases until he is indicted. Little helped convict this guy and Brashier not only crams his name in her story, she also gets another good chuckle with Little when she crams what the man was sentenced to in a story about the soon to come grand jury that will decide Warren’s fate.
The sad thing is that Brashier wanted that sheriff department’s employee to be put on leave back then and now she is using his situation to justify this case. This reporter needs to identify her writing when it is “political editorial” rather than imply it is a news story.
Who cares if she wants certain elected officials to hold certain offices? But plenty of us care if she is using a “newspaper” without identifying her bias. She may fit in well with KSHN”s Bill Buchanan or Allen Youngblood’s i-amawreck.com, but when she expresses things that are clearly meant to influence the outcome of a criminal investigation, she should come clean. Her paper should come clean. They should say we are in the business of helping send people to jail and helping to keep people out of jail and what constitutes their formula for taking the side they take.
Independent prosecutor Kelly Siegler will present the case to the Liberty County grand jury on Sept. 21.
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