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Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Inquisitor relentless in investigation


For the past five weeks Schuyler Marvin and the DA’s office have been getting a lot of attention from the Inquisitor.
It started when Danny Lawler, the publisher, realized that the DA’s office was storing seized vehicles on property owned by DA Investigator Buddy Mondello and then selling them at a private dealer’s auction, rather than at public auction. When Lawler spoke to Schuyler Marvin about it, he was told that the reason he was ‘upset’ was because the vehicles weren’t going through an auction that Lawler operates.
Not so, says Lawler. His commissions for the last eight years from the Bossier DA amount to $9,300 – about $1,162 per year. In addition, some of the cars have been resold at Lawler’s auction by the dealers, so any supposed financial loss is minimal.
After that, Lawler began to get tips about Mondello and his background, including an arrest and conviction in Caddo Parish, and his friendship with convicted robber Larry Thompson.
Other issues were checked out and reported, including a couple of DWI’s that were pled down to lesser charges, one by Mondello’s daughter and another by someone who at least purported to be an employee of the DA.
You can read that story in this week’s Inquisitor, and see the actual police recording of the stop in 2008 on The Inquisitor’s You Tube channel.
Anytime the Inquisitor is involved in a story, the first mode of defense is always to attack the messenger, and Lawler has a pretty thick skin, because he has been attacked on plenty of occasions.
I have, however, never known him to print anything that was untrue.
And I have known, personally, of cases where some of his most ardent attackers also attempt to plant stories in his paper (unsucessfully, in the case I am referring to).
I don’t know how much more will come out, but I do know that the investigation by Lawler is continuing.
The strange twist that I see to the story (and I may be the only one), has to do with the race for District Judge coming up in October.
This is the way I see it. The people are in a very anti-incumbent and very anti-system mood at the present time. Witness the fact of the School Board propositions. Two of them were turned down, and one barely squeaked through. This is not the norm for Bossier Parish. Schools have always received what they asked for.
Also witness the election for State Senator last year, where Jane Smith carried only 52% of the Bossier vote, giving Barrow Peacock a solid win with his strong majority in the Caddo Parish part of the district.
The closest thing to an incumbent in this race is ADA Michael Nerren, who is receiving strong support from the District Attorney and from a number of Bossier City Officials.
If the anti-incumbent mood prevails, the unwitting receipients of any blowback from the Inquisitor articles will be John Slattery and Whit Graves. 
In a hotly contested judge’s race in 2008, Mike Craig, with the help of Marvin and some of the same people who support Nerren, beat incumbent Dewey Burchett, who suffered from being the incumbent in that race.
This year presents a totally different scenario, in that the candidate being supported by Marvin is the ‘insider’ in the race. It will be interesting to watch the race develop, and to see if the establishment’s embrace of Nerren is quite as powerful as it once was.

45 comments:

  1. Larry Thompson, that name is a blast from the past

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  2. Just imagine what he could come up with if he starts in on Jimmy Hall.

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  3. Your comments about incumbents overlooks some of the collateral results that can come from the judge's race. You said that some of the blowback could only help John Slattery and Whit Graves but DA Marvin is in a win-win situation wtih Nerren and Slattery. Slattery is the city judge in Springhill and the city attorney is Charles Jacobs, an assistant DA for Marin. There are only two attorneys in Sprinhill, Slattery and Jacogs. If Slattery wins the election then Marvin's boy Jacobs will replace Slattery as judge without opposition. Slattery is not yet supported by Marvin but will be if Nerren comes in 3rd place again like he did when he ran for DA and there is a runoff between Slattery and Graves. There's no fight between Marvin and Slattery, Nerren just got Marvin's support first and with Marvin's slipping popularity he didn't want Nerren to mount another challenge for the DA's office in 2014, so the deal was made. If Slattery gets elected then Marvin wins two judge positions. After reading Graves' website I would vote for him anyway and with him not being associated with Marvin, it's a no-brainer.

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  4. May be, but Marvin's bunch is bad mouthing Slattery big time right now.

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  5. Far too much credit given to the DA office. Those geese have been cooked for some time, my friend!

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  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  7. Throughout my lifetime, and I am an old man, the Springhill City Attorney has always been Ward Two Attorney, as well as 26th Judicial District ADA who prosecutes crimes from North Webster when they come up for trial in Minden. I don't think their association with the DA's office necessarily means that either Jacobs or Slattery is in Marvin's hip pocket. But both Marvin and Webster Sheriff Sexton have been concentrating their power, and there seems to be all sorts of dirty dealing going on.

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  8. I find it comical that someone thinks what Lawler prints is true.

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  9. Prove me wrong, give me some examples of what he has printed that is untrue.

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  10. I don't understand how Lawler can maintain his financial loss is "minimal" while claiming at the same time the City of Bossier has been clipped by the DA selling the cars somewhere else. Lawler collects 20% on every sale. If his loss is minimal to him then BC reduced amount would be "minimal too."

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  11. This is the same guy who was relentless in investigating the sheriff several years ago until he got what he wanted. Suddenly Deen can do no wrong. Remember?

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  12. Mike Nerren website is up Jim.

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  13. Okay, will check it out and post it.

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  14. Mike Craig is a great example. Without the backing of the DA he could have never been elected. It is common knowledge that he was not the most intelligent choice. He has made a mockery out of the Bossier/Webster court. He too appears to share the same "greater than though" attitude. Rumor has it that his investigation is on the way. Many of us are aware of some cover-ups regarding theft-related charges involving his family members as well as his own shenanigans.

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    1. There is nothing more true than this statement, and I believe an investigation is far more than just a rumor.

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  15. To anonymous at 9:00 a.m. on June 1st, you're insulting alot of citizens in Bossier/Webster Parishes who voted Judge Craig into office. Maybe you should have ran against a sitting judge if you thought you could do better. I hear he's fair and doing an excellent job. There will always be people like you who try to tear a good person down to make themselves feel better, move on.

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  16. Jim i would just like to say i love my bossier, yes the blog, bafb,our schools,sheriff,police and fire people,district attorney,businesses and churches, etc. I have heard so much negitive about Bossier here lately. You would think most of this is coming from people who do not live, work, or own a business in Bossier parish. I will never hang my head because I live in Bossier...

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  17. 3:41,
    Most people on this blog lives bossier. The only thing they are complaining about is the people we elected and trusted to run Bossier. There has been plenty of evidence lately that shows that just about thing they do is unethical and borderline criminal. If you love that then you have a serious problem or part of the corruption.

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  18. I don't live in Bossier Parish, but next door in Webster. And I think most of the corruption in the 26th Judicial District is coming from over here. I wish there were any honest and upright lawyers in this area so that we could elect them as judges and prosecutors. As far as I can tell there is just no such thing, and I think the man back in history who said the first thing to do is to eradicate the lawyers might have had a good idea.

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    1. APOV. The man who said that was a villain who wanted to kill the lawyers so the people wouldn't be able to challenge him after he got power. The author, arguably the best ever, is known for putting good advice in the mouths of villains. In doing so, it echoes real life- even in the 16th century the very worst masqueraded as the most ethical and called for morality and justice - when it could be used to help their own goals. Hmm...,

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  19. Mondello sells cars at Lawlers competitors auction. Marvin won't fire him despite Lawlers demands, so they are both made out to be crooks Iin that piece of --- he calls a newspaper. The message is to all public officials. Sell your stuff somewhere else and your next! That's the real story.

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  20. I think the real story is if your a crooked politician then you better sell your stuff at Danny's place or he will come after you. Larry Deen learned quick fast and in a hurry. Schuyler...not so much...he seems to think he will be able to bully his way out of this one like he has in the past.

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  21. Anyone who has not lived under a rock for the last ten years, knows Lawlers tactics. He went after the sheriff in Caddo and he jumped on the train. The previous mayor in Shreveport and they made a deal. Then the Sheriff in Bossier and everyone knows he caved like a mudslide in California. So kudos to Mr. Marvin for standing up to Lawlers strongarm tactics. Does anyone but me see a conflict of interest with Lawler sell at my auction or have you heard of my paper?

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  22. It appears that Lawler prints the facts and then when the truth hurts, they attack Lawler for reporting the facts. I've seen him go after the Bossier Sheriff, I've seen him write about the City of Shreveport. It doesn't seem to matter if he has their auction business or not. One thing about him, he seems to have a pair that nobody else can match! I guess when you can't dispute the facts, you attack the messenger. I guess if Lawler was upset about the vehicles being sold at the private dealer auction, he has a constitutional right to get mad and protest. That's what America is all about. I've attended Lawler's auctions and I have to say that they are ran better than any auction I've ever attended. I think he has one scheduled for Bossier City in July.

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  23. 12:23,
    Yes I see the conflict. Do you not see the unethical and borderline criminal behavior by our elected officials? Like other posters have stated. Nobody else has the balls to report it. He is reporting facts regardless of the conflict.

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  24. The "fact" is that Lawler doesn't write bad stories about people who cow to his tactics and give him exactly what he wants.

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  25. Guilty as charged sir! For years I've allowed myself to be used by Bossier-Webster Parish District Attorney Schuyler Marvin and his gang, ignoring the allegations of corruption that have been brought to me for years. In fear of losing the auction business that he has given me for the past eight years or so, I've turned a blind eye towards the facts, even when they were laid right in my lap. My Daddy always told me that it takes a real man to admit when he was wrong. Well, I was wrong! I allowed myself to be bought off with a few dollars in commissions over the years. You are exactly right sir. I didn't want to crap in my own feed bucket. And quite honestly, I valued his friendship. It was only after doing some digging that I found out what is really going on over in Bossier. I will make a public apology in my newspaper this week. I feel like I owe an apology to my Bossier and Webster readers for ignoring the corruption. I promise however to make it up to you over the next few weeks as we continue to report our findings while the other news agencies sit back and watch.

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  26. That could get interesting

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  27. Danny,
    Please look into Jimmy Hall. He is just as crooked as Marvin and Deen. He gets to hide because he is appointed by the Mayor. An easy thing to look into that will show you how crooked he is would be the Phillip Vernon situation. All the tapes and evidence that has been destroyed. All the taxpayer money that has been spent just to try and uphold the firing of Vernon. There is so much more but that should get you started. That's if your truly sorry and want to help the citizens get rid of the crooks.

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  28. All these whiners about Hall, Marvin and Deen. Bossier is not corrupt. It's a great place to live, raise a family and work. And these 3 are part of the reason we love Bossier. If you don't like it, move to Shreveport. It's that simple. The Inquisitor guy must have been bullied as a kid and now wants to improve his low self-esteem with attacks on elected officials. Nobody reads that thing anyway. It costs more than a cup of Starbucks coffee, and that's a lot!!!

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  29. Forget the Starbucks coffee, go ahead and take another big shot of the "kool-aid."

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  30. Since Lawler has now had an epiphany will we see some award winning journalism about the other government agencies and elected officials that do auction business with him? Or is the definition of a "crook" someone who does business with your competitor.?

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  31. This is to the writer who wants me to look into City Attorney Jimmy Hall and accuses Sheriff Deen of being crooked. As far as I know, Hall is a stand up type of guy. He's extremely well-respected by most people that I know and he pretty much has the reputation of running Bossier City / Bossier Parish. We've done a couple of stories on Sheriff Deen in the past, but to call the man "crooked" is going a little too far. I guess some people think that if you write a negative story about someone, you are suppose to hammer them week after week. I can't very well just start investigating someone because you call them a "crook." We've got to have facts to work on. I doubt very seriously I would be able to find videos if they have been destroyed, as you say they were. I did look at the videos that were posted on the internet with regard to Sherb Sentell's arrest, and quite honestly, I could see evidence that would support Officer Vernon's case but I could also see the City's side as well. Technically, the officer's report deviated from the video, so they had him by the balls. With that being said, it's easy to point fingers and refer to people as crooks on these blogs because most people, like yourself don't have the courage to put their names on their comments. And maybe that's because you fear retaliation or perhaps because you too, do not want to crap in your own feed bucket. With that said, we all have conflicts. There will be times that I will not want to pursue a story, for whatever reason. It might be because I don't want to crap in my feed bucket. We may not chose to investigate stories because we are related to a person or because we are close friends with someone. I'd be a liar to say that there hasn't been conflicts in the past and that there won't be any in the future. But you can be rest assured that if we investigate and print something about it, it will be backed up by hard facts and we will have the courage to put our name on our stories. For those times when we have conflicts, there are plenty of other news sources, such as the four TV stations, the radio stations, the daily newspaper, the Bossier newspaper, and even Jim's My Bossier that have the option of investigating and reporting the news.

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  32. I agree with everything Danny said. You can only report on what is factual and can be backed up.
    Jimmy Hall is a prime example. I don't recall that I have ever blogged about the man, but he is one of the most commented about people on the blog. But I have never received an email outlining any misdeeds that he has allegedly committed.
    I have had comments suggesting that various public officials are guilty of various acts of malfeasance, but no emails giving any details.
    Just because you don't like someone, or the way they discharge their office, doesn't mean that you can call them a 'crook' without any facts to back that up.
    The power of the people is not in making anonymous accusations of wrongdoing, but in the ballot box. These guys are elected by a majority of the people. Doesn't mean that they are perfect, but they are elected.
    I don't mind offering criticism of their actions, and I do it regularly, but that is expressing my opinion. That is quite different from accusing them of wrongdoing.
    One of my favorite public officials (and one of your favorite targets), told me 'sometimes you need to get after us. Sometimes we're wrong'.
    I will be blogging on this subject and more this weekend.

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  33. I haven't been on this blog for several months. However, it is very obvious that the Inquisitor guy's problem arose when he found out that the DA office stopped sending him their cars to auction. Why does he think this is illegal or wrong? Why should one company get ALL of the business. If a government agency sends ALL of its business to one person, I would view that as being wrong. I say, grow up and quit whining.

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  34. Danny,
    I really want to take your side but reading your post on this blog you are making it difficult. You seem to speak out of both sides. I would be happy to send you emails and tell you stories but after reading your post, no way. You know people are retaliated against for speaking out on these public officials over here in Bossier. Your first article on Larry Deen was how retaliated against one of his deputies. After reading your post about how you think Jimmy Hall is a stand up guy I'm not taking a chance. Remember you thought Marvin was a stand up guy. They are one in the same.
    I will continue to read your paper however. I do believe you print the truth backed up with facts.

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  35. I Love Bossier. I have lived in several other places because of work but have always returned to Bossier when a position became available. That doesn't mean I approve of everything that goes on in Bossier. History teaches us that elected officials tend to forget why they first went into office and start to do things that profit themselves and their friends at a cost to the general public especially when they get re-elected several times.
    Reduce a speeding ticket to something that doesn't go on your driving record so your insurance doesn't go up--I don't have a problem with that for a first time offender, but a sweetheart deal for a contributor on a DWI, or even murder, is out of line especially when you get that person to contribute to your hand picked candidate for judge. That want-to-be judge now owes the DA and that's fertile ground for corruption.
    Benjamin Franklin wrote letters criticizing the government under the name of Silence Dogood. Those letters prompted people to look into questionable actions. Jim Wells and Danny Lawler have the guts to do the same thing using their real names. Kudos to both! If it wasn't for them the rest of us might never have known about these things that need to be stopped. The best way to stop them, if they don't admit their wrongful actions and stop on their own, is to elect someone else to their position and further not elect someone who has already shown their allegience to the wrongful official and would owe a return favor.

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    1. Lawler and Wells compared favorably with Ben Franklin. Now it's getting deep!!!

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  36. Great comment Danny Anybody that has been "targeted" by your paper knows you have zero credibilty and you never have your "facts" correct.

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  37. To anonymous June 6 7:12 You are correct The City of Bossier is Absolutly wonderful and stands for all that is Good and Just! The Mayor is okay,and really loves Bossier,the top appointed officials are just innocent players and victims themselves. The bad rap Bossier gets stems from one rotten apple and if you dig deep enough you will smell the stench,obviously able to fool and deceive really smart reporters and most public servants of the people. This very powerful person that should be of public interest and investigation has flown under the nieve radar accountablity for many years. Accessing all records and documents bearing or googling the name per Bossier City and Council meetings will produce eye-opening undisputable facts that do not require the voice of the victims or their families to be a target of rebuttal or threats of repercussions- Fact: Plenty to be found if one really wants too!!! Everyone loves living in Bossier City, and it is a Great and special City and really what they don't know I guess won't hurt them!! Innocence is Bliss! But, If someone does want to take out the garbage, the Dumpster is empty!

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  38. danny-its refreshing to hear you taking responsiblity for turning your back on your readers and the public when doing so served your interests first, rather than someone else. I guess that is human nature and we are all guilty of misguided selfish actions from time to time. Hopefully you will put additional effort into being transparent on all fronts and not cherry picking stories, particularly when it comes to one of the most powerful positions in bossier/webster parish, the da's office.

    I did notice however in a previous post you went to great lengths to explain that losing the auction business was only a small loss for you and that had nothing to do with you printing the new allegations. However Im assuming you are coming clean and admitting you were essentially bought and paid for previously despite mounting evidence of wrong-doing in that office?

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  39. Why has none of the local news media mentioned this investigation? Should the FBI find nothing illegal to prosecute, will Lawler run an apology? Just asking...anyone respond?

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  40. Attorney General issues opinion that car sales legal. So much for FBI investigation. Typical Lawyler BS.

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  41. When is that stupid inquisitor guy gonna go away? People like this idiot always come and go, but he's been here a while. I can't believe we give an idiot like that a platform to blackmail us with. I will support anyone who will start a paper to compete with the inquisitor! I'm not crazy about Schuylar Marvin but we can't have this gossiping guy blackmailing the people of our community. Danny Lawler has got to go! He is the most corrupt person in this area. You could be the next person he attacks; any of us could. He's like Jessie Jackson or someone, HE'S GOT TO GO! We cannot allow plaugues like him to get a grip on our community.

    After seeing the D.A. stand up to Lawler, I think much better about him than I did. Kudos to you, Mr. Marvin.

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  42. and let's not forget danny boy really gets drunk at the functions he attends with the silent auctions then drives home. putting the public's life in danger. I've seen him many times coming from the fox creek farm parties.

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