Corruption Watch: Hoot Crawford trial, Mexico Beach (this past week)
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Feb. 9, 2024 - Read Hoot Crawford’s Motion for New Trial, filed today:
Feb. 7, 2024 - BREAKING: Jury misconduct in Hoot Crawford trial, according to investigation. Motion being filed showing two of the six jurors told significant lies in order to get on the jury. Documentation is attached as evidence to the investigation.
Lying to get on a jury is a felony - it's direct criminal contempt of court.
If two of the six jurors demonstrably lied during the jury selection process ...
What will State Attorney Larry Basford do to uphold the integrity of the justice system? What will Judge Kelvin Wells do to uphold the integrity of the court?
At the very least, it warrants a retrial. One in which the defendant can question the legality of the emergency order to shelter the girl into state custody.
That's always the absolute defense: Defendants can always question the validity of probable cause used to get custody orders, warrants, etc.
But Judge Wells said "I don't want to be put in the position to determine the legality of the shelter." During the evidentiary hearing, the Judge refused to hear the evidence.
Evidence that clearly show that the girl was NOT in immediate danger at the Children's Advocacy Center with her parents, her attorney, and law-enforcement officers.
And the most shocking thing of all is that during trial BCSO Lt. Jeremy Mathis testified that the brother was not a threat to the girl. She wasn't in danger, after all.
Why did they all swear under oath for more than a year-and-a-half that they feared the brother was going to hurt his sister?
Only to refute the entire case during the trial. Of course, the Judge made the jury leave the courtroom during that witness testimony by Lt. Mathis.
That testimony was taken as a "proffer," in case the conviction is appealed. Judge Wells said it was "not relevant" during the evidentiary hearing.
And it's also the witness testimony when the courtroom video was not recording, from what I'm being told.
More to follow ...
Feb. 7, 2024 - Ask yourself why WJHG doesn’t mention the lawsuit against the Recall Committee for false claims against her.
Are they incompetent or on the take?
This is worse than simply journalistic malpractice. It’s straight-up marketing in the effort to keep the $100 million in FEMA spending behind the firewall of putative City Administrator Chris Hubbard and his girlfriend accountant who are the foxes guarding the henhouse.
Right now, Chris Hubbard thinks I’m calling his lady a fox and he’s peacocking with pride.
Imagine having the public trust of journalism to be a watchdog of power, but instead sell out your own community for … what?
Legacy matters. Truth matters.
Please, Lord, bring good people here to protect the us from public officials who lie, steal, and bully their own community.
I think a special agent with the FBI should be brought in for Mexico Beach. And another one for Lynn Haven. Let it be written, let it be done.
Feb. 7, 2024 - Look who was the President of the Board of Directors in May 2022 when Sheriff Tommy Ford arrested attorney Hoot Crawford, who had expressed interest in running against Larry Basford for State Attorney.
Five months after Hoot was arrested, the President of the Children’s Advocacy Center was arrested. Michael Johnson was charged with stealing about half-a-million dollars from the Friends of After School Assistance Program and other entities.
Allegedly, he had been embezzling money for a decade. The loot came from various places such as the City of Panama City, a nonprofit organization, and the CRA.
But he was probably very honest when he was on the Board of Directors with State Attorney Larry Basford and BCSO Lt. Jeremy Mathis. I had been warning about him as CRA Director at Panama City and the County Commission. But my complaints were dismissed.
Their friends at WMBB, WJHG, and the News Herald never mentioned anything on the news about Johnson running the governing board of the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Incidentally, Lt. Mathis is the one who arrested Hoot after calling the DCF supervisor to “shelter the child.” The DCF agent told the local judge that the girl was in immediate danger at the Children’s Advocacy Center with her parents, her attorney, and law enforcement.
They fabricated a false affidavit for probable cause in order to force the girl into four separate interrogations without her right to an attorney. Then Sheriff Ford’s investigators asked what she told her attorney, Hoot Crawford, and what he told her.
Judge Kelvin Wells allowed the state to use attorney-client communication to prosecute Hoot tampering with a witness/victim. And Judge Wells wouldn’t allow the jury to know that DCF lied to the local judge in order to get the emergency order to snatch the girl from her attorney for questioning. DCF “sheltered” her into state custody on the spot at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Without an absolute defense (the unlawful shelter), the jury convicted her attorney of interfering with custody of a child and tampering with a witness.
Like a grenade, the false conviction has widespread casualties, which include a violation of her right to an attorney, a violation of attorney-client privilege, a violation of Marsy’s Law, and a violation of due process.
Feb. 6, 2024 - The irony. The right to an attorney was born in Panama City. Now Sheriff Tommy Ford and State Attorney Larry Basford have brazenly desecrated Gideon v. Wainwright.
(1) They ARRESTED a victim’s attorney (Hoot Crawford) over a voluntary interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
(2) The victim was a teenage girl being represented under Marsy’s Law, which was amended into the Florida Constitution. She had a right to an attorney every step of the way, and she invoked her right.
(3) Sheriff Ford and DCF forced the victim into FOUR separate interrogations WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY at the Children’s Advocacy Center (a nonprofit funded mostly with federal dollars). They asked what she told her attorney, and what he told her.
(4) State Attorney Larry Basford used that privileged conversation as evidence that the attorney “tampered with a witness/victim.” Judge Kelvin C. Wells said there’s a “hearsay exception” that allowed prosecutors to intrude into the victim’s attorney-client privilege in order to convict her attorney.
5. Sheriff Tommy Ford’s Office called DCF and requested that they submit a false affidavit to a local judge in order to immediately shelter the girl in state custody after she left the voluntary interview with her attorney. They said she was in imminent danger at the Children’s Advocacy Center with her parents and her attorney and law-enforcement officers.
6. During trial, Lt. Jeremy Mathis testified that the girl’s brother posed NO DANGER to her safety. That was the very premise Sheriff Tommy Ford’s Office used to stalk and harass the 16-year-old girl in the first place. This is malicious prosecution. Case law requires police to stop an investigation once “their fears are allayed.” Sheriff Tommy Ford’s Office never even feared for the girl’s safety at all.
7. The 14th Judicial Circuit prohibits authorities from questioning minors more than three times. Sheriff Tommy Ford and DCF interrogated this girl four times without her lawyer after snatching her into state custody. They had questioned her prior to that as well.
8. The girl’s attorney was convicted for (1) interference with child custody; and (2) tampering with a witness/victim on Jan. 30 after Judge Kelvin C. Wells refused to rule on the “legality of the shelter.” In other words, the defendant could not question the validity of probable cause or the veracity of the affidavit. Judge Wells told the jury that they must convict him merely if they believed he heard the DCF agent say she was sheltering the girl into custody on the spot.
9. Prior to being arrested, attorney Hoot Crawford had expressed interest in running for State Attorney against Larry Basford. It was Basford himself who advised Sheriff Ford’s office to arrest Crawford. Then Basford added the “tampering with a witness/victim” charge.
10. Initially, Sheriff Tommy Ford charged Hoot Crawford for striking the DCF agent with his car, causing injury. Surveillance video showed that was a lie, so the charge was dropped a few days before trial. The DCF agent went on Worker’s Comp for five months anyway. She’s the one who lied to the local judge about the girl being in danger so authorities could put her in state custody.
11. The Children’s Advocacy Center is a nonprofit whose board members include top prosecutor Larry Basford, Sheriff Tommy Ford, and Lt. Jeremy Mathis. The CEO is Major Jimmy Stanford’s daughter. And his wife is top brass at Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Major Stanford led Sheriff Ford’s “Public Trust Unit” before retiring last year. Sheriff Ford brought him back to work cold cases. While teaming up with the FBI in 2021, they executed a search warrant at GAC Contractors after telling a judge that Bay County is more corrupt than New Jersey and New Orleans. But they took the treasure trove of evidence and buried it. Federal Judge Mark Walker was surprised that they “put corruption in boxes.”
Sheriff Tommy Ford, State Attorney Larry Basford, and Judge Kelvin C. Wells trampled Gideon v. Wainwright. In so doing, they
1. Violated the right to an attorney
2. Violated attorney-client privilege
3. Violated the 5th Amendment
4. Violated Marcy’s Law
5. Violated a teenage victim’s rights
6. Interfered with parental child custody
7. Tampered with a witness/victim
8. Violated a defendant’s absolute defense
9. Committed malicious prosecution
10. Committed abuse of process
11. Stalked and harassed under color of law
12. Aided and abetted perjury
13. Violated 4th Amendment rights
14. Violated 1st Amendment rights
15. Committed tortious interference
16. Interfered with an election
17. Aided and abetted Worker’s Comp fraud
18. Engaged in conflicts of interest
19. Conspired with the Press to defame
20. Conspired with the Press to propagandize
Nobody is safe with Tommy Ford and Larry Basford in office terrorizing our community.
Feb. 6, 2024 - How does a third-party nonprofit turn into an Orwellian nightmare for teenage victims?
Sheriff Tommy Ford arrests a teenage girl’s attorney at a voluntary interview?
And then two male investigators who have been stalking her interrogate her twice after arresting her attorney?
AND THEN pry attorney-client communication out of her to use as evidence in a crazy tampering with a witness/victim charge?
All approved by Judge Kelvin C. Wells.
Feb. 6, 2024 - VIDEO: Opening statements in the trial of attorney Hoot Crawford
Feb. 6, 2024 - Look at this fraudulent petition. People are crazy to sign it.
Mayor Michele Miller has filed a lawsuit against the Recall Committee for its bogus accusations against her. They're begging Ron DeSantis to save them.
But now the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and the Auditor General are examining the $100 million of FEMA money that was awarded after Hurricane Michael.
The person who would know the most is Doug Baber, the former City Administrator who abruptly resigned last year and became the City Manager in Crystal River.
A couple weeks ago, Baber and his protege Michael Manning resigned from Crystal River after staff directors revolted over alleged bid rigging and budget manipulation similar to what they did in Mexico Beach.
Mayor Miller STILL has been prevented from overseeing the City's finances, which are now being guarded by putative City Administrator Chris Hubbard and his girlfriend Debbie McLeod.
It's a hot time in Mexico Beach.
The City paid former Mayor Al Cathey's Ace Hardware more than half-a-million dollars while he was in office. He was the Mayor and a big vender at the same time.
Sheriff Tommy Ford and his "Public Trust Unit" made big televised promises that they would clean up public corruption with the help of the FBI. Instead, they "put corruption in boxes," as Federal Judge Mark Walker described it.
But it's becoming too hard to keep the corruption hidden with state representatives and state senators from the auditing committee doing a deep dive into the FEMA cookie jar.
They should take a good look at who got the lion's share of the $49 million in hurricane debris pick up. Look at those contracts. Look at those companies. Look at those invoices.
The FBI should hire a special agent with a financial background to focus on Mexico Beach.
Feb. 5, 2024 - Even prosecutor Sullivan knew that Hoot’s absolute defense was the false DCF affidavit used as probable cause to obtain an emergency order to shelter the girl in state custody.
Sheriff Ford ambushed her. As a victim under Marsy’s Law, she came to the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) with her parents and her attorney for a VOLUNTARY interview.
A few days earlier, Sheriff Ford’s Investigator Trey Fondren banged on her door the day the doctor released her from the mental hospital after her emotional breakdown.
Fondren yelled at her mom, threatened to arrest her for being a bad mom and said he could take all the children away. Fondren wanted to talk to the 16-year old girl. He left only after her mom pulled out her cell phone hoping to record his belligerent behavior.
That was only five days before the voluntary interview at the CAC. Fondren was there waiting, demanding to question her alone in the interrogation room.
She’s terrified of him, and she only agreed to answer questions if her attorney, Hoot Crawford, is at her side.
Authorities at the CAC said that’s not allowed. They need her alone. Rules are rules. But Hoot knows that their rules don’t supersede the law under the Florida Constituion.
Investigator Fondren was frustrated. He’s determined to get the girl alone. So he calls in the big guns.
Lt. Jeremy Mathis arrives with his command voice. He and Sheriff Ford are on the Board of Directors at the Children’s Advocacy Center. Lt. Mathis shouts at Hoot, accusing him of interfering with Fondren’s investigation.
“Do we need to get DCF to shelter that child?!”
Lt. Mathis says they can get a court order this very afternoon and kick the parents and him out of the CAC. Hoot stays by her side, just like she asked. She has the right to an attorney every step of the way.
The voluntary interview was just the bait Sheriff Ford used in order to trap the girl into a forced interrogation by the very man who threatened her mom at their front door the day she got home from the hospital.
That’s straight-up DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
The only shield that stood in the their way of traumatizing the girl (a Marcy’s Law victim) was her grandfatherly protector. That’s what they called Hoot.
Lt. Mathis made good on his threat. He got DCF to “shelter that child” because Fondren was obsessed with getting the girl alone. No matter what, this boogeyman kept pursuing her like the villain in Cape Fear.
They lied to a local judge in the false affidavit. When Hoot got out of his car after the illegal traffic stop, Investigator Fondren followed Hoot into a private office restroom and tried to watch him urinate.
As Hoot was being hauled to jail, the teenage girl was taken back to the Children's Advocacy Center and brought into the interrogation room. That's where DCF and Sheriff Ford's investigators questioned her without an attorney four separate times.
They asked what she and her attorney were talking about.
There’s a big sign on the wall that says, “SAFE PLACE.” The sign is as true as that false affidavit.
The very authorities who charged and convicted Hoot for interfering with child custody and for tampering with a witness are the ones who actually did it.
It’s blatantly obvious for everyone to see. Sheriff Ford arrested the girl’s attorney, snatched her away and handed her over to authorities. All alone.
To hell with the right to an attorney in Panama City. Gideon v. Wainwright is a relic of the past. Attorney-client privilege now is used as evidence of tampering with a witness by State Attorney Larry Basford.
The message is clear, and it’s brutish. Straight out of a dystopian novel or horror movie. And it’s this:
You are totally at our mercy. We own you. The Sheriff. DCF. The Prosecutor. The Judge. The Press. No law can protect you because we pervert and ignore the law. We decide the law. So stop resisting, and SUBMIT to the humiliation for your own good. And mostly for our sadistic gratification. Or else.
We need judges who uphold the law and do their most basic job. Judge Kelvin C. Wells showed brazen contempt for defendant Crawford in the courtroom on several occasions.
And it culminated in the Judge refusing to hear evidence at the evidentiary hearing. Evidence that would have exposed the false affidavit upon which the entire case hinged.
Instead, Judge Wells absolutely refused to allow Hoot Crawford to present his absolute defense to the jury. The flippant actions of this Judge disgraced the courtroom and Rule of Law.
In fact, the Rule of Law was supplanted by the Law of Rulers.
Let’s fix that.
