2010.07.19 - Terry Shoemaker's comments to Art Harris RE: Misty

[raisincharlie]

I think Ron has more than enough to deal with when it comes to Haleigh. And I do think Ron wants immunity, what did Shoemaker mean when he said part of the deal is they can ask Ron anything and everything about what has happened in the past year and a half?

I think Ron is arrogant enough to think he deserves immunity in all this.

You have a point - since the trafficking charges are recent, within the past almost 8 months, there is absolutely no reason for the SA to want answers to questions relating to the past year and a half. If Shoemaker can be believed it is fairly obvious that the questions to be put to Ron have to do with other things besides trafficking drugs. It is also obvious, if Shoemaker is to be believed, that LE and the SA are not at all satisfied with whatever information Ron has provided about anything for the past year and a half for them to offer this deal with this kind of time frame stipulation.

This of course is assuming Shoemaker isn't just spinning a tall tale as lawyers are prone to do from time to time. I would venture to wager however, that whatever Ron has to answer with respect to Haleigh at least, that any and all information will have to lead to some form of verifiable tangible evidence. Just saying Joe said the dock would be a good place to get rid of a body isn't going to cut it IMO.

 

[lorann]

I would really love to believe that there is a plan to trip RC up and prove he has lied about Haleigh- if they knew he had lied and had evidence, no deal would be needed. This deal business, JMHO, is simply every day drug deals made in courts everywhere - trade time served with names of suppliers. Many are so hoping RC will either get his due or point to the responsible person(s) we are trying the make all of this fit to that end. I hope I am wrong.

 

[Chablis]

I would really love to believe that there is a plan to trip RC up and prove he has lied about Haleigh- if they knew he had lied and had evidence, no deal would be needed. This deal business, JMHO, is simply every day drug deals made in courts everywhere - trade time served with names of suppliers. Many are so hoping RC will either get his due or point to the responsible person(s) we are trying the make all of this fit to that end. I hope I am wrong.

Well, people can hope all they want for a drug trafficker to return to the streets, but its not going to happen for at least 15 years, if ever.

 

[Dee10]

IF this is true, I wonder how it will affect Ron?

"The Bald Truth has learned exclusively Misty Croslin aims to plead no contest to her drug charges Aug. 22 when the so called ringleader is scheduled to go on trial for trafficking pain kllers in Putnam County Circuit court . “Ronald’s case has no bearing on our case,” her attorney, Robert Fields, tells me in an exclusive interview, dismissing her as the main brain behind the drug operation."

http://www.artharris.com/2010/07/20/exclusive-misty-croslins-bad-memory/#more-4444

 

[1Chump]

That's true, but if LE doesn't want us believing something, they can refute it. It's not realistic for LE to expect people to not trust any single thing a person says, & only wait for the few tidbits that they decide to release. There's a lot of information out there, & LE can do or not do what they want with it, but, people are going to hear things, & decide on their own, what's believable. & right now, since LE hasn't refuted that they asked Ron to divorce Misty, I'm assuming it's true. But, it's just my opinion, based around the facts, surrounding Ron's statement. But if LE didn't ask Ron to divorce Misty, I guess we'll soon know.

LE is not making comments to keep from harming the investigation. Refuting "rumors" would be making comments. If LE refuted any false statements, any statements they did not "refute" would be considered true. Potential POI's could use LE refuting false statements as a tool to learn about the investigation.

LE does not care what we, the general public, believe. LE only cares about their investigation. The only statements/information we know are true is anything that comes directly from LE either thru an LE statement or a sourced quote. Anything that comes from "sources close to LE" is not a statement from LE. For all we know, it could be a family member who says they were told by LE but that does not mean it is true.

Anything a family member states publically that LE told them cannot be considered "fact" either. LE is legally allowed to lie as an investigational tool. If it does not come directly from LE, it is not a fact.

IMO, LE not refuting that they "asked" Ron to divorce Misty means nothing. Actually, Ron said in an interview that he stopped cooperating with LE back in March because he was at work so did not know anything. With Ron refusing to talk to LE, how did they tell him to divorce Misty? Why would they tell Ron anything when he refused to tell them anything?

 

[1Chump]

I think Ron has more than enough to deal with when it comes to Haleigh. And I do think Ron wants immunity, what did Shoemaker mean when he said part of the deal is they can ask Ron anything and everything about what has happened in the past year and a half?

I think Ron is arrogant enough to think he deserves immunity in all this.

IMO, if Ron had anything to deal with especially about Haleigh, he would have used it long before now and not spent all these months in jail.

I agree that Ron would be arrogant to think he deserves immunity. However, Ron even told the reporter when he was first arrested that he would be spending years in jail. Because Ron knows that what he has on Haleigh is not something he can "share" with LE or the SA.

 

[Chablis]

IMO, if Ron had anything to deal with especially about Haleigh, he would have used it long before now and not spent all these months in jail.

I agree that Ron would be arrogant to think he deserves immunity. However, Ron even told the reporter when he was first arrested that he would be spending years in jail. Because Ron knows that what he has on Haleigh is not something he can "share" with LE or the SA.

Well, then what is going on with Shoemaker saying Ron will talk about things that have happened in the past year and a half, because no matter what, hes not walking away from this without significant jail time. Ron knows what happened to his daughter, so in a way hes holding the cards, as far as we all know, he could be saying, drop the 25, let me plea to the 15, and I will tell you want happened to Haleigh. IMO- he knows what happened to his daughter, and the reason I say this is because in the UC tape, he says, a drug boy didnt take her, thats not what happened, well, then tell us what happened Ron!

I think hes playing the State once again.

 

[dodie20]

Oh, Ron's making a deal. no doubt about it. He got the continuance, after it was initially denied, & Shomaker's statements about Ron answering all questions, leaves no doubt. & he's gonna give information on Haleigh. & yes, he will be granted immunity. there's no other explanation. If he doesn't have information on Haleigh, a judge wouldn't have agreed to the extra month. & I don't remember Ron saying that he was going to do years in prison. I remember him saying that he knew he was going to the pen. But even if he did say years, he might have meant 4 or 5 years. if Ron had no bargaining power, & was resigned to years in the pen, he would've already pled, & accepted his punishment. The court wouldn't let him waste time & drag this out for nothing. moo.

 

[TrialAddict]

Ron's willingness to testify against, Misty to get some of his charges dropped and the min on the others baffles me. It seems like the only thing he would have, would be what he knows about what happen to her. How could he have not said anything all this time if he was not involved in it?
Maybe I am giving, Ron too much credit for being a person who couldn't be that involved. I don't want to believe he had any direct part in what happen that night/day. But if he does know and has kept quite all this time and only talking now to save his own butt, I hope he rots in prison

 

[GER]

I'm not super great at this, but I would like to make a comment...

From my memory, I recall hearing Sheriff Hardy, (almost certain that is who) state that during an interview or press release, that his office had received tips right from the get go on HaLeigh's disappearance that RC and company were involved in dealing drugs.

To me, that would cover the past 1 1/2 years of what RC knows in the drug business.

I just can't wrap my head around RC being needed to testify against Misty and certainly not against TC as he pled No Contest already. Then we have the videos... Nope, just can't.

To me, all along it's been about RC giving up his suppliers and other buyers, at least for the past couple of years. I highly suspect that many have already been arrested and charged and that this latest juggling for a plea deal has much to do with RC satisfyingly testifying against those he 'snitched' on...

LE and the SA offices, would not refute any kind of rumor regarding this and quite possibly would even lead the public astray intentionally to 'cover' RC's behind on his part of the drug arrests that happened after he gave LE the info they needed.

Come to think about it, so would family members and his attorney!

It's all in their broad wording....

IMO

 

[GER]

ACK! Another thing...

Didn't RC get his request for a continuance denied?

So when his trial was to begin, the SA is the one to ask the judge for a continuance?

Whaaaat? See? This is what I mean... The state is needing RC for their cases that they're building against others...and it's NOT Misty or TC, nor anything to do directly with HaLeigh's disappearance.

Postponing his trial, working on a plea deal all tells me that this is indeed the case....

IMO and all of that

 

[1Chump]

Well, then what is going on with Shoemaker saying Ron will talk about things that have happened in the past year and a half, because no matter what, hes not walking away from this without significant jail time. Ron knows what happened to his daughter, so in a way hes holding the cards, as far as we all know, he could be saying, drop the 25, let me plea to the 15, and I will tell you want happened to Haleigh. IMO- he knows what happened to his daughter, and the reason I say this is because in the UC tape, he says, a drug boy didnt take her, thats not what happened, well, then tell us what happened Ron!

I think hes playing the State once again.

Ron has refused to answer any questions since March 2009. LE had questions then that he refused to come in and answer. LE definitely has even more questions now that they have spent all this time gathering evidence including results on any forensic evidence that was removed from the MH.

Ron talking just means that Ron wil sit down and answer questions under oath. .

IMO, the fact that Shoemaker stated "they offered us" not Ron "offered to" testify says that the SA holds the cards.

IMO, the reason the deal has taken so long is that Ron does not have anything specific to offer. It is not just Ron giving a statement but he has to back it up. IMO, Ron cannot back up what he says because he cannot state the truth.

IMO, Ron was trying for a deal to avoid answering LE's questions about the past year and a half. Ron wanted to talk about drugs and drugs only. Ron "especially" did not want to blindly answer LE's questions, meaning not know ahead of time what questions they had. Because the deal will include Ron having to answer all their questions truthfully. If Ron gets caught in a lie or refuses to answer any questions, Ron is at risk of violating his plea agreement.

iMO, the SA is the one who held out until Ron agreed to answer questions about the past year and a half.

 

[Chablis]

Ron has refused to answer any questions since March 2009. LE had questions then that he refused to come in and answer. LE definitely has even more questions now that they have spent all this time gathering evidence including results on any forensic evidence that was removed from the MH.

Ron talking just means that Ron wil sit down and answer questions under oath. .

IMO, the fact that Shoemaker stated "they offered us" not Ron "offered to" testify says that the SA holds the cards.

IMO, the reason the deal has taken so long is that Ron does not have anything specific to offer. It is not just Ron giving a statement but he has to back it up. IMO, Ron cannot back up what he says because he cannot state the truth.

IMO, Ron was trying for a deal to avoid answering LE's questions about the past year and a half. Ron wanted to talk about drugs and drugs only. Ron "especially" did not want to blindly answer LE's questions, meaning not know ahead of time what questions they had. Because the deal will include Ron having to answer all their questions truthfully. If Ron gets caught in a lie or refuses to answer any questions, Ron is at risk of violating his plea agreement.

iMO, the SA is the one who held out until Ron agreed to answer questions about the past year and a half.

Well, we can agree to disagree because imo, Ron knows what exactly happened to his daughter, and he is the one holding the cards right now.

 

[1Chump]

ACK! Another thing...

Didn't RC get his request for a continuance denied?

So when his trial was to begin, the SA is the one to ask the judge for a continuance?

Whaaaat? See? This is what I mean... The state is needing RC for their cases that they're building against others...and it's NOT Misty or TC, nor anything to do directly with HaLeigh's disappearance.

Postponing his trial, working on a plea deal all tells me that this is indeed the case....

IMO and all of that

Actually you have it backwards. The fact that Ron filed a motion means the SA was opposed to the continuance. Why would the SA oppose the continuance if the SA needed Ron to testify?

When both parties agree to continue a matter, they will jointly request the continuance. Usually the Court will agree to continue a matter without an apeparance when both parties agree.

IMO, the SA played hardball by forcing the trial or a plea to the charges without a deal unless Ron agreed to answer LE's questions.

 

[MADJGNLAW]

ACK! Another thing...

Didn't RC get his request for a continuance denied?

So when his trial was to begin, the SA is the one to ask the judge for a continuance?

Whaaaat? See? This is what I mean... The state is needing RC for their cases that they're building against others...and it's NOT Misty or TC, nor anything to do directly with HaLeigh's disappearance.

Postponing his trial, working on a plea deal all tells me that this is indeed the case....

IMO and all of that

GER, I am totally confused by this. Mainly because the Judge had already given Ron a plea date and REFUSED his motion for a continuance. Then the day of the hearing all of the sudden the SA and Ron are asking for more time to get the plea in order. It just does not sit right with me. JMO though.

 

[1Chump]

GER, I am totally confused by this. Mainly because the Judge had already given Ron a plea date and REFUSED his motion for a continuance. Then the day of the hearing all of the sudden the SA and Ron are asking for more time to get the plea in order. It just does not sit right with me. JMO though.

The Last Chance Plea Day is actual "Docket Day." The "name" is confusing. It is the last chance for a defendant to CHANGE his plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" and/or "nolo contendre" to avoid a trial. It has absolutely nothing to do with "plea deal."

Because of backlog in court cases and the cost of trials, any time there is a possibility of a deal to avoid a trial, the court will work with the SA and defendant.

 

[krkrjx]

The Last Chance Plea Day is actual "Docket Day." The "name" is confusing. It is the last chance for a defendant to CHANGE his plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" and/or "nolo contendre" to avoid a trial. It has absolutely nothing to do with "plea deal."

Because of backlog in court cases and the cost of trials, any time there is a possibility of a deal to avoid a trial, the court will work with the SA and defendant.

I agree 100% with the statement I have bolded. Deals are made all the time and some deals offer immunity to any person with information that would ensure conviction of the guilty person(s) in a crime.

The issue I have with this proposed deal for Ron is this: The state has him on tape committing the crimes. Therefore, a trial would be quick and swift, IMO, and not a huge investment of time or money. Upon sentencing, Ron would also be assessed hefty fines that would for the most part cover the cost of his prison time, so there seems to be no reason for the state to cut a deal solely to avoid trial.

Maybe Ron has something major to offer the state on another crime. Now, we all want it to be about Haleigh or no deal. But the SA does not give a rat's head about what we want. SA could very well be dealing for information about something totally unrelated and if that is the case, Ron skates and there is still no justice for Haleigh.

 

[Snowbunny]

ACK! Another thing...

Didn't RC get his request for a continuance denied?

So when his trial was to begin, the SA is the one to ask the judge for a continuance?

Whaaaat? See? This is what I mean... The state is needing RC for their cases that they're building against others...and it's NOT Misty or TC, nor anything to do directly with HaLeigh's disappearance.

Postponing his trial, working on a plea deal all tells me that this is indeed the case....

IMO and all of that

Ger, I talked to my son about this and he totally agrees with you here. I told him that they had to goods on Ronald with all the video tapes and he said the only reason they would even consider dropping the 2 larger charges on Ronald is if he was giving up the goods on the dealers and suppliers. He doesn't feel this has anything to do with Haleigh's case either but he felt that LE might use this situation to their advantage to also apply presser on the Croslin clan to rattle their cages in the meantime since the Croslins wouldn't know what Ronald might be giving up.

 

[Concerned Papa]

Ger, I talked to my son about this and he totally agrees with you here. I told him that they had to goods on Ronald with all the video tapes and he said the only reason they would even consider dropping the 2 larger charges on Ronald is if he was giving up the goods on the dealers and suppliers. He doesn't feel this has anything to do with Haleigh's case either but he felt that LE might use this situation to their advantage to also apply presser on the Croslin clan to rattle their cages in the meantime since the Croslins wouldn't know what Ronald might be giving up.

BBM

This could be, particularly in light of Hank and Lisa's presence in the courtroom. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them being there, but it did shock the heck out of me that they were.

 

[Searchfortruth]

This plea talk really makes no sense to me. The only plea the state would be interested in, is information concerning Haleigh. For Ron to keep his mouth shut, for this long, guarantees his involvement in Haleigh's demise. I can't see the state offering him immunity for his testimony, and I pray that this doesn't happen. Anything else he may offer would be self serving, leaving his involvement out of the story. The only person we have heard from, concerning a plea deal, is Ron's atty. I will not believe it until I hear it from reputable sources. Ron is not innocent in his daughter's disappearance and so what could he possibly offer, but lies.

There is no way Ron will get less than 15 years, he should get at least the 25 minimum. Anything less will prove that there is something, very wrong, with the justice system in Putnam County.

Plus, LE made a concerted effort to catch all of the drug dealers involved (Ron included). The ok for this bust had to come from higher up. If they really thought that Ron was the innocent father, of a missing child, would they have given the ok for multiple busts, involving this poor victim suffering the loss of his child. I doubt it.