Due to the comments that I have ‘attacked’ Schuyler Marvin, and knowing that although I have criticized at times I have also been supportive at times, I decided to search the archives of My Bossier up to the time of the Sentell arrest and see exactly what I have said. Here are excerpts from blog posts about Schuyler Marvin and his office.
The Negative:
- This blog post about nol-prossed charges in respect to one individual was negative.
- In one I blogged “The Bossier DA has a record of going very, very easy on people who attack or threaten police officers.”
- In another I said “Considering that Schuyler Marvin dropped 3 felony battery charges against someone who committed physical violence cussing out an officer will probably not receive any attention a all.”
The Positive:
- Personally, I have confidence that the DA will do the right thing, either in fully prosecuting the case or in recusing himself.
We'll support him in whichever option he follows. - A positive note in all this is the effort by DA Marvin to establish the
- The irony of it is that I believe he has done a good job as DA. If he had an opponent, I would probably be blogging pro-Schuyler.
In this case, however, I have to disagree with him. (In answer to a comment).
The Neutral:
- The DA’s influence definitely came into play. I’m not saying that he ‘ran’ Mike Craig in a move to increase his own power base, but it cannot be denied that Schuyler Marvin has some stroke with the voters.
- Everyone involved knew that DA Schuyler Marvin was behind Craig's run. I also find it interesting that his home parish of Webster did not support him in this.
- The District Attorney, born into a politically influential family, is supporting Judge Burchett’s opponent, an assistant DA. The boys are on the attack.
- Bossier-Webster Parish (26th JDC) District Attorney Schuyler Marvin (picture) is unopposed in the election this fall, so he will be the DA for another 6 years.
Three negatives, three positives and 4 ‘neutrals’. Hardly constitutes the vendetta against Marvin that has been portrayed by commenters to the blog. Then again, I’m certain that I’m about to get some more, so bring it on. Don't let the truth stand in your way.
As a neutral party, I would say you have been extremely fair. It is idiotic to say you have attacked him. But so go's that twisted thing that is called politics...Ya got my vote Jim!
ReplyDeleteAlex
Amen!
ReplyDeleteI think you have been fair, but some of the "anonymous" comments have not been. You told us about the situation where 3 felony charges against a man who had attacked Officer Wells were nol prossed. But nobody has told us about the circumstances which caused Sentell's reaction "you, again" when approached by Officer Wells on October 3rd. This is also part of what leads people to think that Officer Wells is conducting a vendetta against Sentell.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why he said that, you would have to ask him.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Mark, why would a Bossier City police officer have a problem with a Webster Parish prosecuter anyway? Their paths don't cross - unless it's at the casino on Friday night.
ReplyDeleteMarvin is working real hard to get Sentell out of this feloney charge! Too bad he can't get it up before his boy judge Craig!
ReplyDeleteMarvin is a disgrace to his office!
ReplyDeleteMarvin's "internal" investigation is supposedly over. He should now release the officer's tape. That will happen when hell freezes over!
ReplyDelete1 officer fired. 1 officer disciplined. why? because they lied in their report, tried to cover it up and their cover up was uncovered in internal affairs investigation. typical bc dirty cops. think about it. if they did nothing wrong they would not have been fired. this whole thing just stinks.
ReplyDelete"if they did nothing wrong they would not have been fired."
ReplyDeleteIf he hadn't done anything wrong, he wouldn't have been arrested.
Arrest does not equal wrong doing. Often arrested folks are found not guilty. But lying to internal affairs about "public intimidation" statements, and then having to crawfish when confronted with your own car video, which is what happened, gets you off the police payroll - and it should.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 8:52 & 9:03, if what you say is true, then why don't they release the audio of what was said in that police car? It sure looks like Marvin is just carrying out the threats that his buddy made in trying to intimidate the officers into letting him go.
ReplyDeleteElementary stuff - if the intimidation threats were actually made, officers would not be fired. Where's Halphen? Someone needs to just ask a simple question, "Chief, were the officers fired for lying in their report about public intimidation?"
ReplyDeleteOnly one officer has been fired, and that was the reserve officer. No reason was given.
ReplyDeleteBossier is a mess...2 officers fired/disciplined...1 da dude resigns...2 more officers shoot unarmed man...who is really protecting the citizens...arm yourselves...if it is true police lied in any of these - the guillotine for them....
ReplyDeleteIs it possible they haven't released the tapes from the police car because there is prosecutable evidence there. Any evidence released before any prosecution makes prosecution harder because it taints a pool of jurors. I have a problem with the tapes that were released so far. Also where is a link to these videos? And just how does the opinions posted by Jim here on "My Bossier" affects the possible prosecution of this case? And why can't a private citizen post articles and opinions, that may or may not criticize someone or their office. That is the nature of being in political office. Someone is going to criticize you. Your job is to take care of business without all these accusations. I think Jim has been fair. Now can these people act professional and do what they need to do. I think Halphen is right in not doing anything just yet and measuring what he will say and release at some point in the future.
ReplyDeleteDarrell, it is possible i went to the moon. Fact, Halphen released intial report to media which you say is wrong. i agree. taints prosecution. Fact, officers lied about public intimidation and video busts their chops. They're in soup line. Fact, officer shoots unarmed man 5 times. Fact, i am not in political office (i haul hay for goodness sakes) but it all stinks. Opinion, i think Jim has been fair.
ReplyDeleteBehind The Blue Wall website feature: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ReplyDelete[LA] Wife of Asst. District Atty pled with officers arresting her husband, "You'll only make things worse for me..."
...The wife of Chief Assistant District Attorney Sherb Sentell III was visibly upset and crying when she spoke to officers following an altercation with her husband... "You'll only make things worse for me... They'll take care of him and make it all go away." Mrs. Sentell said her husband lived "with virtual immunity due to his political influence"...
Pray this office is not doing more harm than good...
One fired and one on leave awating a termination hearing for arresting someone drinking at a casino.
ReplyDeleteIts ironic that if you shoot a man with a cell phone we "back the badge", but if you arrest someone's friend or a politician you automatically loose your job.
And we wonder why people are leaving our state.
Usually, someone is arrested, they run their mouth and other charges are added. Sometimes they might even hit an officer after they are arrested. The officers job is to write down what happens and charge the person with what fits. Its the DA's job to decide whether to prosecute and then the judge decides if the DA has met his burden of proof.
Police are prepared if they arrest somebody for rape, but the jury finds them not guilty. Now if they arrest someone for aggravated battery and it should have been just battery, can they be fired for "lying"? IS it possible to put any more pressure on the police?
I saw the tapes. And after speaking with a retired judge there is indeed enough said by Sentell to prosecute for public intimidation. Whether or not the DA turns over all of the evidence to the AG is another story. I did happen to make a copy and will forward it to the all the media outlets soon. Just remember one thing Marvin said " Sentell made no threat with the intent to influence the conduct of the officers". Just keep that in mind. Marvin gonna be whistling by the graveyard for a while.
ReplyDelete"They" can blame cops, casino employee, blogs, axes to grind, hatchetts, attacks, "anons", but I can truthfully say I was excited when I read Mr. Sentell had resigned and would have a press conference at his lawyer's office the following day I thought he was going to do the "right" thing. I have known 3 generations of Sentells and I wanted nothing but the best for them, but not at the expense of those doing a good job. I was more than disappointed in reading the 2 statements. Maybe I am delusional, but I had hoped for an apology, love for wife, love for husband would have been forthcoming. All of us have closets of errors, wrongs, some of us even attics full, so we are so ready to forgive, to understand, but never at someone else's expense. Robbery can be added to the charges, robbery of public trust.
ReplyDeleteJim you have been more than fair on all accounts. I think the problem with some of your readership is they don't want anything said negative about marvin. unfortunately for marvin when you speak the truth or point out facts, its negative. so unless someone puts spin on everything he does its gonna come out negative. i dont think anyone expects marvin to be perfect, but we do expect him to be perfectly honest to his office. its one thing to make errors its another thing to be dishonest. keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteSchuler just needs to step down as DA before he makes things worse around here. Bossier/Webster is tired of his Good Ole Boy Network.
ReplyDeleteSchuylar has needed to step down for quite a while now.When he took over in 2003, I believe we all had high hopes for an improvement in Bossier and in Webster also. Jim had been out of the office for so long with his injury; they literally were not even trying cases over there. Marvin came in with too many of his good ole friends. He hired that one female and did a big promotion on her "she hit the ground running" Boy she did. She tried and convicted somewhere near like ten cases in six months. Big cases, hard cases. She left and Schuylar had to make that personal. Call it anyway you like to once that girl left no assistant was qualified to try those big cases. Schuylar showed his butt the week or so after. He took a case to trial that she warned him he should not make his capital murder debut on, but his ego had to show her that they could win big without her. Well not only did Schuylar not get the death penalty on his first case out of the box, the da** killer got off scott free. Not Guilty, can you believe that? Schuylar was doing ok before his daddy died, then he thought he could just run those offices without anyone teling him anything and now every other day I have to read about the corruption of our Parish and our Dirty DA's office.
ReplyDeleteIt is just time, I mean it is time for that boy to grow up and act like a man. Stop riding around all day drinking beer; his poor secretary said she can't get him to return a single phone call. He wont even get voice mail on his mobile so he won't have any messages to return. That boy has got to learn that he is accountable and if he can't be accoutable he aint; ready for a man's job. Stop all this foolishness. Blaming these negative comments on old cases, judge's elections that done been over and other stuff that just don't matter. Take control of your ofice boy. Get rid of all your friends who don't know two bits about criminal prosecution, get you some expereinced workers in there and no they dont all have to be your friend. Hang out with your friends when your businsess is done. You better clean up your mess boy or you gonna be in serious trouble and I aint talking bout the kind you can laugh off or call a friend to fix. Your gonna wind up in some serious trouble and then whats Jodie and them kids gonna do for a daddy? husband? They gonna be shamed of you and you can put a stop to all this foolishness before it gets to that. God bless your family and you too. I pray you do the right thing or bow out before you really do disgrace that family of yours
Anon 7:13 that was the nicest summation and warning. I too know his family well and would like to see him clean up his act before it is too late...we all win...no one likes to admit he's wrong, but if he will listen, maybe, just maybe we can see a turnaround. I pray for that.
ReplyDelete