Reasonable Doubt

It has been one year since former Jacksonville Texas peace officer Larry Pugh filed a civil appeal in the U.S. District court. Who is Larry Pugh? Pugh is a name that taints all that honorably "protect and serve."

Described as rogue officer by the Daily Progress newspaper of Jacksonville, Larry Pugh's victims included several who were unfortunate enough to be pulled over for a traffic violation. Is it any wonder little old ladies and women coming home from work at night in Texas are afraid to pull over?

(video of elderly woman afraid to pull over during a traffic stop in Dallas, Texas: http://www.trutv.com/video/hot-pursuit/hello-911-im-being-arrested.html?link=truTVshlk)

But the victim that brought Federal Investigation to Cherokee County was Evelyn Lewis.

Lewis had been walking home from a friends house one night, when Pugh in his patrol car, picked her up, took her to an abandoned house and repeatedly raped her, threatening to shoot her if she did not comply. Lewis said that she got "the run around from the police department" when she brought her complaint and that her statement was even postponed by the Cherokee County DA office. The FBI became involved when Pugh later retaliated and reportedly attempted to drag the woman to his van, with a belt around her neck, but the belt broke and the woman was able to flee.

This is just a bare-bones summary of what came to a head in Cherokee County, Texas in 2007.

Despite over 35 complaints of sexual assault throughout Pugh's law enforcement career, he was employed by the city of Jacksonville as a peace officer until the FEDERAL INVESTIGATION brought him down. The case was prosecuted by the US Attorney's office.

The investigation brought to light some disturbing issues.

Terri Renee Troublefield was slated to testify against Pugh, but disappeared in May 2006. Also linked to Pugh, Shunte Coleman disappeared on July 2, 2006. The skeletal remains of Terri Troublefield were found, a year later, in the Angelina Forest over Labor Day weekend in 2007. Both women disappeared while Pugh was out on bond from federal court, and before his arrest in August for wrapping a belt around the neck of witness, Evelyn Lewis and repeatedly trying to drag her to his vehicle. Lewis is reported to have barely survived the attack.

Cherokee County District Attorney Investigator Joe Evans interviewed the other 8 victims involved in the Lewis case, and later testified that he interviewed over 30 alleged victims and the persons, including ministers and police officers, who substantiated these womens' claims. Evans comments at Pugh's civil trial that the rogue officer was "one of the coldest interviewees in Evans' 40 years of law enforcement."

Some of the local papers have been careful to not report that there were other victims.

During the time of the complaints, not only did the city continue to employ Larry Pugh, but he was also aided by the Freedom of Information Act to locate the majority of his complainants. Once his accusers were located, he arrested several of them on drug charges. "Pugh was therefore assisted by local law enforcement in locating those who had filed police reports or visited the Rape Crisis Center in Jacksonville, Texas." states a website.

Lewis, cannot proceed with her civil suit against the city of Jacksonville, according to the May 27, 2007 issue of the Jacksonville Daily Progress, but according to the June 13, 2007 issue of a local Tyler paper, she was awarded $300,000 in punitive damages to try and collect from the incarcerated convicted ex-officer.

How, you might ask is it possible that the city after ignoring rape complaints will not be held liable? The Jacksonville Daily Progress reported on May 24, 2007 that a U.S. District Judge blocked the civil suit brought by Pugh's last victim, in which a total of 8 women claimed rape in the lawsuit, by Summary Judgment.

"Remaining witnesses and plaintiffs against Jacksonville, Texas and police officer Larry Pugh have either had their cases dismissed or the plaintiffs/complainants themselves have vanished', reports the cherokeecountytexas.wordpress.com.

As if this disturbing account of events were not confusing enough, another legal issue involving Larry Pugh against the city of Jacksonville was happening around the same time.

During this next suit, even though the above happenings were under investigation, they were not yet made public or brought up during the litigation.

Larry Pugh is also accused of beating and tasering an Afro American gentleman and his pregnant wife during 2004 at the cities historic football field, the Tomato Bowl, during a riot.

The "Tomato Bowl Brawl" was a race riot that occurred at the Jacksonville, TX high school football stadium and homecoming in October 2004. Anonymous sources state that "The tomato bowl fights broke out because of the police got rough escorting a girl out of the stadium. They started it." According to media sources the story goes something like this. What began as juvenile rough housing, turned into a full blown race riot, complete with tasers, pepper spray and billy clubs.

The class action suit alleged that officer Larry Pugh beat several black attendees in the parking lot. A gentleman named Larry Hinton escorted his pregnant wife to their car, when the fighting broke out. He was by attacked and tasered by JPD Officer Pugh, his front teeth knocked out and his pregnant wife maced.

Hinton was later charged with "interfering" with a police round-up. Mr. Hinton was actually put on trial by the Cherokee County attorney Craig Caldwell. Mr. Hinton and others filed a federal lawsuit and excessive force suits against the city of Jacksonville. Jacksonville "settled" the lawsuits pending from Larry Pugh's actions during the Tomato Bowl Brawl, after the exoneration of Mr. Hinton and other black citizens filed class action police brutality suits.

The bogus Larry Hinton criminal trial took place AFTER Officer Larry Pugh was arrested and incarcerated for sexual assaulting women while in uniform and while the DA office was interviewing the 25-30 witnesses of the sexual misconduct of officer Pugh . Mr. Hinton was later acquitted, as was a 13 year old girl, the center of the altercation. It was alleged that Cherokee County officers had "arrested" and kicked the junior high girl, when fellow citizens jumped into the fray "created by Cherokee County officers". The Cherokee County media reported on Larry Hinton's "public misconduct" trial after citizens taking a stand against police brutality took to the Rusk, TX courthouse steps in protest.

The city of Jacksonville, TX and the family of Larry Hinton "settled" the civil rights class action suit for an undisclosed amount.

Larry Pugh's sentence? Twelve years in FEDERAL prison for RAPE and RETALIATION. Pugh also faced sentencing for perjury for lying under oath to federal authorities. Reported on June 30, 2008 in the Tyler News, Larry Pugh has been sentenced to 18 months for perjury, running successively with his other sentences. Larry Pugh’s final civil appeal was filed August 18, 2008 in the US District Court.

The cases of the two women linked to Pugh that disappeared only weeks apart have yet to be solved. Terri Renee Troublefield is being investigated as a homocide and Shunte Coleman is still missing.

http://cherokeecountytexas.blogspot.com/2007/05/jacksonville-police-officer-pleads.html

http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706130312

http://cherokeecountytexas.wordpress.com/evelyn-lewis-vs-larry-pugh-the-city-of-jacksonville-tx-et-al/

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/07/07-40662.0.wpd.pdf

Do you believe a judge should be able to use his position to avoid a ticket? Or that a citizen if asked by an officer of the law have to produce supporting I.D. beyond a standard drivers license? According to sources, a Louisiana District Judge did not, and when he was pulled over, this resulted in an altercation with the state trooper.

State District Judge Lewis Sams was stopped by state trooper Eric Schonfarber in front of the Red River Parish Courthouse, in Coushatta, LA, on June 29, 2009, for not wearing his seatbelt.

Sams has not commented on the incident, but a source familiar with the case related that the judge admits to not wearing the seatbelt, and that during the stop, Schonfarber checked the drivers license, registration and proof of insurance then questioned Sams about where he worked. Sams replied that he was a judge, and upon that answer Schonfarber requested to see the judges I.D and badge.

Sams said that he didn't think it was proper to use his position and asked for the ticket.

KTBS reports " Both the trooper and the judge were insistent over the judge's I.D. and the trooper wound up pulling his taser, manhandling the judge and pushing the judge onto the hood, said one person at the courthouse at the time. Sams got a ticket and was released and went into the courthouse."

Schonfarber, a state trooper for 14 years, later surrendered, and was booked in Red River Parish, then released on his own recognizance, on warrants charging him with simple battery, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. He is on paid leave pending the resolution of the case.

Since the trooper was in a backup car instead of his assigned patrol car, there is no video of the instance, but there were eye witnesses.

KTBS reports ""We don't know precisely what happened after our trooper stopped the judge for not wearing a seatbelt, but were going to find out," State Police commander Col. Mike Edmonson said today in a prepared statement. "As soon as we learned that a confrontation between the trooper and the judge had occurred, we began an internal administrative inquiry. We hope to wrap that investigation soon and will share our findings."'

SOURCES:

http://www.ktbs.com/news/trooper-arrested-for-manhandling-judge

http://www.cenlamedia.com/alb/index.php/site/article/state-trooper-arrested-after-confrontation-with-a-judge/

Shreveport, Louisiana citizens should feel safer knowing one more cop has been added to the police force. Or do they? Reinstated is a better word and safety is a matter of circumstance or opinion. The facts surrounding the nationally known events between Wiley Willis and Angie Garbarino are a blurry "he said she said" but the flaws in the police procedure in this instance have never been clearer.

In a previous blog published on this site by 'Cops Busted', an account of what happened to Garbarino while in custody was detailed. A search on the internet brings up the shocking video and pictures. Angie Garbarino was taken into custody on suspicion of DWI and ended up being taken from the police station on a stretcher.

"Much of what happened was recorded on a videotape, but there is a gap of undetermined length. During that time, the woman wound up injured. She said she was beaten up; the officer said she fell," Cops Busted explains in the earlier mentioned blog.

Wiley Willis, who was put on suspension and then later fired for "violating departmental policy" while arresting Garbarino, was reinstated with a year and a half back pay and all benefits, to his place on the Shreveport Police force following a hearing with the city's Civil Service Board on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Wiley had appealed his dismissal on the grounds that his Police Bill of Rights had been violated when the investigation was not finished in 60 days, and because the polygraph expert had failed to record the test as required. The findings of the 7 person panel was that his Police Bill of Rights had indeed been violated when the results of his polygraph test were not recorded.

The Shreveport Times online reports that "Wayne Nissen, who administered the polygraph, testified before the board that he was aware the police department was investigating Willis' actions. He said he wasn't given a line of questions to ask during the exam but was told to ask questions about the night of Garbarino's arrest."

Learning that there was a polygraph test that was never recorded seems to have many people asking the same question and coming to a grim speculation. If Willis' account of the night in question had been confirmed in a polygraph exam, why didn't wouldn't the city happily record and release the findings, exonerating themselves as well as the officer employed by them? If the polygraph exam had confirmed Willis' story why did the city so readily agree to a settlement with Garbarino? And if the polygraph exam was favorable to their officer, shouldn't they have shouted it to every media source that had flamed them? It is a strange circle of events Willis has used the very thing that would infer his guilt or innocence, to seek reinstatement.

In my own opinion a more disturbing issue than the polygraph exam lurks, centering around Wileys other claim of his "violation of the police bill of rights." With so much public and legal scrutiny about police procedure, how could the city overlook the 60 day deadline of concluding the investigation? Why WAS the suspension deadline breached that gave him grounds to get his job back?

However, according to The Shreveport Times online "Civil Service Board members found no fault with the city's actions in those matters but unanimously cited the failure to tape the exam."

Sources:

The Shreveport Times Online
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090813/NEWS03/908130319&template=printart.
http://beta.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090812/NEWS03/90812012&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL.

Cops Busted
http://cops-busted.com/blogs/1/Start-a-Blog-on-Cops-Bustedcom.html