OH - Plea for corruption investigation in Ohio to Dept of Justice

[Jeana (DP)]

Thank you for the link, I have emailed him plus gained links to many other investigative journalists.

Everyone has been so awsome, I wish we had known about this board long ago.

We're glad you're here now Darlin!!! Hang in there!! :blowkiss:

 

[Widow]

(sniff) We have had much new activity on our websites devoted to these crimes and leads to investigative journalists from this site. And most of all, the emotional support has been incredible - we are grateful beyond words.

 

[SuziQ]

***Bump***

 

[gooniequeen]

Thanks for the bump, SuziQ!

We have submitted nearly 1,000 pages of documents and witness testimony to the Dept. of Justice...an original complaint with documentation and then additional documentation after we received a request for more information from DOJ. Now I am pacing, pacing.

I wonder if anyone has had a case in which they had to try to convince DOJ to get involved. I would very much like to hear about the process, the wait, if it is wise to get professional legal help for submitting information, etc. I know DOJ considers cases that have inquiries by congressmen and journalists.

Who are the house Representatives in your district? I have some experience with dealing with Congress. My suggestion is to get your most compelling victims in this case (perhaps you and Tai) to request a meeting with your local congressman and tell them your story, bring pictures of the victims - make it VERY compelling and ask for help.

You can also organize a "calling" campaign where you have residents in that congresspersons district all start calling their local office (not DC office) and express concerns about the allegations and that they hope th have the CM's support in seeing that the DOJ looks at the case. Make sure your callers are NICE and not aggressive - remember you want to win the congressman over.

If you get no help with your rep contact your 2 senators and do the same thing.

Goodluck.

 

[cardionurse]

Did this start while Tom Hayes was sheriff?

 

[Widow]

Good question, Cardionurse. The James Silvers "suicide" occured years before the triple homicide.

Upon the event of the triple, Tom Hayes had been working undercover nearby, and immediately thought something was wrong because all deputies were to be notified of the event but there was much activitiy with a few authorities before the othes were told. He came back to Preble County and after finding more discepencies he ran for sheriff and won. Before his death, he remarked at a family reunion when asked how the investigation was coming in the triple, that he was sure if Sheriff P did not shoot everyone himself then he was standing right next to the guy who did.

Tom Hayes was still alive during the Clayton Helriggle "drug raid", and though he was not implicated in the wrongdoing in that case, there is great wrong in the search warrant circumstances and little or nothing was done by Hayes in correcting it or being truthful with the families.

In Tom's defense, we believe there are many within the judicial system of Preble County who would like to see the corruption end, but the "good ole boy" network really ran things for years (we have detected a slowing of their activities especially since we went public with our claims) and they have such a tight network covering several areas of the government that anyone in a position of power was just an ornament...things were run the way the "good ole boy" network said they ran.

Cardionurse, I am interested that you have knowledge of Tom Hayes. I wonder if you are familiar with some other names...David Lindloff, Paul Plaugher Sr., Larry Swihart, Frank Ford, Rebecca Ferguson, etc.

 

[cardionurse]

My dad's from Preble county. I grew up in Richmond, but haven't lived there for several years. I knew Tom and his wife's family real well , but never talked politics with him. His early death was real hard on us.

I can remember my mom talking about some things going on in Preble County that didn't "look right" and she worried about Tom trying to straighten things out, but I don't remember anything specific. Wasn't there a strawberry farm that got caught running a drug business.. and then there were some boys that were found dead on the property? I may be confusing 2 stories.

Can you explain your comment below? What family reunion was he at? Who is Sheriff P?
Before his death, he remarked at a family reunion when asked how the investigation was coming in the triple, that he was sure if Sheriff P did not shoot everyone himself then he was standing right next to the guy who did.

I'll keep in touch. I was following the Stanley sister's thread and saw your comments about Preble County. I'll have to do some more reading on your links and ask my parent's about it. I don't recognize any of the other names you listed. How are they connected.

 

[Widow]

Cardionurse, from what I have heard Tom Hayes is about the only person who took an office in Preble County for the sake of cleaning the place up. My condolences for your pain in the loss of Tom.

Yes! The strawberry farm was owned by Mike Johnson, and he later went on to serve time in prison for drugs. My husband, Donnie, and Dave Smelser (2 of the victims of the triple homicide) worked on Johnson's strawberry farm on and off throughout the years, and Donnie had been working for him only weeks before the triple. He had over heard Johnson discussing with someone only a week before the triple what should be done with Donnie's paycheck because he would be already be dead when the checks were released.

An elderly neighbor has spoken of watching deputy cars going to Johnson's regularly and "loading up" the trunks of the cars.

Hayes was at his own family reunion and they asked him what was happening in the triple case. He said he was sure if Sheriff Plaugher (Sr. - now retired and Jr. is now a deputy) did not shoot everyone himseilf he was sure Plaugher was standing next to the guy who did. David Lindloff, the County Prosecutor's Investigator, has gone to lengths to get me to stop asking questions. At one point, deputies were caught burning evidence.

The bodies found on Johnson's farm were gay men that seemed to be coming from a bar in Indiana, and supposedly they found the culprit but there is speculation as to what really happened.

 

[SuziQ]

Good afternoon! ***Bump***

 

[Wudge]

mysteriew, we are or have worked with OBCI, FBI, and DOJ. I had not considered the impact of contacting government officials outside of these agencies and did not pick up on your suggestion until your second post - thank you!

I will look into this avenue, but must step carefully because this little county is highly political (REPUBLICAN! don't anybody dare say the D word) and I could easily harm our case as easily as help it. The local authorities are well connected far beyond Preble County so much that many fearful witnesses will only speak to federal authorities.

Do not take the following to be legal advice, nor is it intended to be such.

When a person or group embarks on a mission to expose corruption, it is important that they avoid thinking and/or acting as if they can get just a little bit pregnant.

Before all else, document all of the corroborated facts you consider relevant, and document your corroboration. Rewrite your documentation for clarity over and over. Good things are not written; they are re-written.

Now for the punchline, after your documentation and re-writes are complete as well as your corroboration package, make sure you obtain a full legal review and legal advice from a highly competent legal firm before doing anything else. Try to ensure there is strong focus on libel/slander laws. Repeat, obtain legal focus on libel/slander laws on everything you do.

That said, if you post your "thought to be expose" on the web -- in essence, you have decided to go high-profile -- you might think about sending it everywhere else as well; e.g., to various media outlets, congressmen, Senators, state police (I understand this may not be practical), local D.A.'s office (I understand this may not be practical), your Attorney General, the FBI, DOJ et al. And document exactly who and when your expose package was sent to. All of the above with your attorney in full agreement of course.

Remember, almost anything is easier to get yourself into than out of.

 

[mom3dd]

Very kind of you wudge to post that. Widow I think you need to imo sit up and take notice of what wudge is saying. Good luck

 

[cardionurse]

Wow, I can't believe I had the story about the strawberry farm correct. I use to go there with my Mom and Grandmother. The murders happened after I moved out of state and my mom had sent the P-I articles to me.
Were the "gay" boys found dead there connected to the drug dealing or to the Johnson's? I doubt they were coming over there from Indiana just to hang out in the strawberry fields.

Thanks for clarifying the comment about the family reunion. I had read it as Tom was saying anyone standing next to "him", as in Tom, could have been the one that pulled the trigger.

Time to call Mom and see what she remembers.

 

[smokesbiggestfan]

This whole case must not be forgotten. What happened that late October night needs to be for the families and the people living in that county. I and my family were victim to those people as well. Widow says this has been going on for two decades more like 3 or 4.It goes back to the sheriff's before Plaugher. Plaugher is truly a piece of work. The first time I met the man my hair stood up on the back of my neck. That's a sure sign there is something wrong. He also ran a private investigation firm that did some pretty questionable activities in Richmond, IN. He was licensed in Indiana for that work. He had one investigator who trespassed and was window peeping...until a dog caught him.This is the same activity that is speculated in the triple. Parking and peeping.

Tom Hayes....he was a good man who at one point did some good. He was kind to me as was Larry Green before him but the good old boy network runs deep there. My case was not criminal. They tried to make it criminal but knew it wouldn't pass muster at grand jury. I do know I had an X on my back several times and thankfully there were some decent police in that area and in a neighboring county who aided me. I also had a few close associate's who were insiders that told me to get out while the going was good. I had found employment out of state and I left. I still had to fight them for 2 1/2 more years long distance.

I knew the triple victims. I was friends with Smelser. I had recently become friends with Widow's husband. People in my own family were targeted as suspects. My case evolved from this case as mine began almost simultaneously. I want nothing more than to see those responsible pay for killing my friends and widow's husband and her children's father.:furious:

 

[Widow]

Wudge, THANK YOU.

I very much understand your statement of exposing corruption either wholeheartedly or not at all. My reluctance is with anything local, as citizens literally die or go away forever under false charges in many cases where they had angered officials or had incriminating information concerning wrongdoing.

The witness statements and court documents in these cases were privately collected by a Citizen's Task Force these last 15 years, and I have met the founder and members this last January. I collected and sorted what I felt could be reliable and documented information to investigators and took 4 weeks writing a cover letter, completing the complaint form, and building a document packet. That effort led to a request from DOJ for more information, and I then took 10 weeks writing a timeline, pages of witness lists and contact #s, and additional court documents and witness statements. I must have rewritten everything 5 or 6 times, and still made last minute alterations as I was doing final preparations.

Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of an attorney. Since RICO and Color of Law acts are involved, I sought an attorney that could practice in a federal court. He reviewed my information and finally told me I must attain an attorney in Ohio where the cases occured, and I am 1,000 miles away from there. I have recently begun speaking with a local attorney in Preble County who is well aware of the corruption there. However, the DOJ complaint was already submitted by the time I found the attorney. I understand it is probably going to take more than just my complaint to get DOJ to act, so I am seeking attention to our situation in any way I can find it. I am always worried about slander/libel, and try never to make a statement without a legal document to back it up - I try to keep all personal opinions and thoughts out of print.

I was widowed in my 20s...we were going to live forever and never considered life insurance. We had 3 young children and it was important for me to be at home when they were toddlers, and before and after school as they grew. I am intelligent and able-bodied, I refuse to ask for financial assitance or government programs. I am now in my 40s and make just enough to live by. I cannot afford an attorney and am hoping RICO will be included in charges, then attorney fees will be covered.

OBCI has had the case for years now and it remains open (but they admitted Preble County was one of the most corrupt in Ohio). FBI investigated but came to a standstill years ago, and has no idea of the huge amount of witnesses and information we have collected since the internet made it possible for us to reach so many citizens (they did confidentially admit to a witness that they were sure authorities had killed everyone in the triple, but they had covered their tracks really well. The Task Force eventually located eyewitnesses and taped their testimonies.) We tried submitting our additional information this year, but there were so many calls from citizens in the county that they were incredulous and finally said they would not look into anything unless DOJ told them to. I have several investigative journalists in various stages of projects, but nothing will be happening in the near future...the story is just too huge with so many cases.

Your post is so generous in advice, I can't thank you enough. I will be sure to contact the local attorney there and ask about my public efforts right away. Don't leave me, Wudge, I wish I had you to consult with this last year! I do not wish to be ugly or false in my allegations toward specific officials, I want to keep everything fact based. I worry about mentioning actual names of accused authorities in these forums. Do you recommend anything I can research concerning libel laws?

Remember, almost anything is easier to get yourself into than out of.

I promise, I will think of this and apply it before I make a single move.

The time you took to address my situation in humbling, I cannot properly express to you how grateful I am for your observations and advice.

 

[Widow]

Thanks for clarifying the comment about the family reunion. I had read it as Tom was saying anyone standing next to "him", as in Tom, could have been the one that pulled the trigger.

My apologies...sometimes I am guilty of writing as fast as I am thinking
and am lacking in re-reading before I post.

Were the "gay" boys found dead there connected to the drug dealing or to the Johnson's? I doubt they were coming over there from Indiana just to hang out in the strawberry fields.

You know, I am not too familiar with that case (perhaps smokesbiggestfan would know) but I believe the "activity" took place in Indiana and bodies were dumped in Ohio. Sure is strange that for all the farmland there, the bodies ended up on land owned by a person who was neck-deep in wrongdoing with authorities... The Investigator we accuse of being the ring-leader of the corruption in Preble County received all kinds of awards and wrote a book in that case. I will be sure to post a link if I find information on it.

 

[CaliKid]

Widow, I don't blame the county citizens for being afraid to come forward publicly and having to work behind the scenes in hopes of not being found out. If I lived in Prebble Co. with this going on, I'd want to move.

 

[Widow]

I don't blame the county citizens for being afraid to come forward publicly

I can tell you that I would not be nearly so bold in my search for investigation if I was living in Preble County. Some of my in-laws are living right there and they are feeling repurcusions. Clayton Helriggle died because a deputy's wife had flirted with him weeks earlier, what do you think they would do to me for daring to expose the inner workings there? Most eyewitnesses and victims are now at the point where they will only speak to a federal agent...even OBCI is too close to trust. And it is a shame - since we found each other and so many witnesses came forward in our cases, we now know what happened in 2 cases (with signed, taped, and legal documentation). Talking the feds into looking at it, though, has been a task.

 

[Widow]

Smokesbiggest fan is yet another victim whose very life was threatened by Preble County authorities, I had forgotten that. It is incredulous to me how hard it is to attain help from the outside. Rather than be astonished and jumping on the justice wagon to fix this mess, agencies make us beg for help.

I have worried all night about Wudge's advice to attain legal help for the DOJ complaint, and called the local attorney in Preble County first thing this morning (who was not available). The complaint and following request for more information has already been submitted, and I am now sure that it is not at all in an acceptable format for federal attorneys who will look at it in Washington. I was never advised to have an attorney look at it, the complaint and subsequent information was written by a desperate and scared citizen who has never had experience with a criminal case. I know that I have provided DOJ with concrete evidence of wrongdoing, but I am truly worried that it was not presented correctly and will probably be denied on that basis alone.

I have been reading past posts by Wudge...I am beginning to see things from a court's point of view. I wish I could do the DOJ complaint all over, but they do not consider cases that have already been presented to them and denied once already. Preble County is Prosecutor Nifong's (NC Duke University rape accusations) twin. Our cases originate from a Prosecutor out of control with power and personal grudges, along with a tight-knit group of authorities each involved in their own wrongdoing, and together holding offices in every aspect of local government. These deputies, prosecutors, investigators, and even two judges covered for each other in case after case. To have all this investigated and prosecuted seems like an insurmountable task.

When I step back and look at our situation I am at the point of giving up, it is too much to believe and too much to fight. But from my personal view, I am a good person and have never been involved in any crime and I have eyewitnesses to authorities being present at the triple homicide and in every other place in America I have a right to have this looked at and prosecuted. If I stop fighting then everyone starts dying or going to prison on false charges again.

Being welcomed to WebSleuths has changed everything for me. Seeing other atrocious crimes and the fights for justice keeps me strong. Watching justice play out in wrongful cases gives me hope. And receiving advice and moral support from posters here has renewed my belief in the basic goodness of humanity.

 

[Widow]

I am re-thinking our efforts of a class-action allegation of wrongdoing to the Dept. of Justice.

There are 3 main cases...the triple homicide, the Lesa Buckley murder, and the Clayton Helriggle "drug raid". (There are dozens of cases, but these are at the forefront of our complaint).

I have been reading all morning about alleging a pattern of wrongdoing. Though we can certainly prove it, I understand that we would have to go through a class certification, which could possibly be a downfall if one too many discrepencies could be argued.

I am wondering if I should attempt to file a complaint to DOJ solely on the triple homicide case...and if I have ruined my chances of doing so by including it in the class action complaint. Is it seen as having already been considered if a denial comes for the class action?

The Scotts have been advised that the information of wrongdoing in their case should be given to an attorney and dealt with in the courts since their son is currently in prison for Lesa Buckley's murder. There are different rules for prisoners alleging wrongdoing than for citizens.

The Helriggle case has been tried in federal court and WON, but much evidence was not included, the grand jury allegedly had planted jurists, and there is a matter of $3,000 missing from the home after a deputy performed an inventory - a fact which attorneys advised the family not to be vocal about in case prosecutors wanted to turn on them and suggest it was drug money. They were awarded $500,000...a pitiful sum for a bogus drug raid, bogus single witness alleging drug activity, a bogus search warrant, and a jealousy motive by the deputy in charge of perpetrating this crime.

I have found the DOJ investigators manual online and have learned a great deal from it, but is there no "handbook" for private citizens who wish to file a complaint? I wish I had my own personal Wudge. I wish I had known that professional legal help was possible in filing a complaint. Can anyone direct me to a link giving advice for filing of complaints with the feds?

 

[Wudge]

Wudge, THANK YOU.

I very much understand your statement of exposing corruption either wholeheartedly or not at all. My reluctance is with anything local, as citizens literally die or go away forever under false charges in many cases where they had angered officials or had incriminating information concerning wrongdoing.

The witness statements and court documents in these cases were privately collected by a Citizen's Task Force these last 15 years, and I have met the founder and members this last January. I collected and sorted what I felt could be reliable and documented information to investigators and took 4 weeks writing a cover letter, completing the complaint form, and building a document packet. That effort led to a request from DOJ for more information, and I then took 10 weeks writing a timeline, pages of witness lists and contact #s, and additional court documents and witness statements. I must have rewritten everything 5 or 6 times, and still made last minute alterations as I was doing final preparations.

Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of an attorney. Since RICO and Color of Law acts are involved, I sought an attorney that could practice in a federal court. He reviewed my information and finally told me I must attain an attorney in Ohio where the cases occured, and I am 1,000 miles away from there. I have recently begun speaking with a local attorney in Preble County who is well aware of the corruption there. However, the DOJ complaint was already submitted by the time I found the attorney. I understand it is probably going to take more than just my complaint to get DOJ to act, so I am seeking attention to our situation in any way I can find it. I am always worried about slander/libel, and try never to make a statement without a legal document to back it up - I try to keep all personal opinions and thoughts out of print.

I was widowed in my 20s...we were going to live forever and never considered life insurance. We had 3 young children and it was important for me to be at home when they were toddlers, and before and after school as they grew. I am intelligent and able-bodied, I refuse to ask for financial assitance or government programs. I am now in my 40s and make just enough to live by. I cannot afford an attorney and am hoping RICO will be included in charges, then attorney fees will be covered.

OBCI has had the case for years now and it remains open (but they admitted Preble County was one of the most corrupt in Ohio). FBI investigated but came to a standstill years ago, and has no idea of the huge amount of witnesses and information we have collected since the internet made it possible for us to reach so many citizens (they did confidentially admit to a witness that they were sure authorities had killed everyone in the triple, but they had covered their tracks really well. The Task Force eventually located eyewitnesses and taped their testimonies.) We tried submitting our additional information this year, but there were so many calls from citizens in the county that they were incredulous and finally said they would not look into anything unless DOJ told them to. I have several investigative journalists in various stages of projects, but nothing will be happening in the near future...the story is just too huge with so many cases.

Your post is so generous in advice, I can't thank you enough. I will be sure to contact the local attorney there and ask about my public efforts right away. Don't leave me, Wudge, I wish I had you to consult with this last year! I do not wish to be ugly or false in my allegations toward specific officials, I want to keep everything fact based. I worry about mentioning actual names of accused authorities in these forums. Do you recommend anything I can research concerning libel laws?


I promise, I will think of this and apply it before I make a single move.

The time you took to address my situation in humbling, I cannot properly express to you how grateful I am for your observations and advice.

Widow, again, do not consider anything I say here to be legal advice, nor is it intended to be legal advice.

One key aspect of a slander/libel lawsuit is that "truth" is a perfect defense. By "truth", I mean absolute, unimpeachable truth that could be presented in a courtroom by a competent attroney, because a clean and clear audit trail exists that details that truth.

However, if you "feel", if you "think", if you "believe" something to be true and express it as "factual" through written words or voice it publically in a way that is attachable to one or more persons, then you run the risk of having that person or persons sue you for slander/libel/defamation of character.

People who have issues against others should always be very careful not to turn opinion into fact. Repeat, avoid turning opinion into fact via the form of your words/sentences.

I feel, I think, I believe, etc., are "generally" taken to represent the form of an opinion. However, declaring that Sally is a robber or Joe is a murderer would not be considered by a Judge to be the expression of an opinion.

I suspect that you know enough to be extremely cautious (note: the word "suspect" is in the form of an opinion), but I am not sure.

One thing I am fairly sure of is that (IQ wise) you are not dumb. That does not mean you will not make a dumb mistake based on emotions though.

Many libel/slander attorneys make a very nice living going after people who do make such dumb mistakes. Attorneys like Lin Wood who successfully won awards/judgments in numerous cases on behalf of clients such as: Richard Jewell (Olympic bombing) and the Ramseys (Jon Benet) and Gary Condit (against Dominic Dunn in the Chandra Levy case), etc..

And do not think you can just retract a poor statement by covering up afterwards. For example, if JoeBlow were to say on TV that Mr. Murphy is a murderer, then that better have been proven true in a court of law. At the end of that TV program, JoeBlow should not expect to be able to escape a defamation lawsuit by saying that "everything I said earlier was just my opinion". A bell rung is a bell rung.

All of the above said, go to the library and spend a few days reading up on libel/slander. After that, call an attorney to discuss any questions that remain. And don't say you can't afford to get a short sit-down. A short sit down would likely be thousands of times cheaper than the cost of defending yourself in a lawsuit.

As regards your particular interests, caution in what you say anywhere or write anywhere should always be on your mind, always.

Remember, how you do what you do matters a great deal in most any aspect of life. So think about taking time out to get 100% up-to-speed on defamation/slander/libel.

(all of the above said only with an intent to be possibly helpful)