Quartzsite Police Chief Jeff Gilbert couldn't dig himself a deeper hole if you loaned him a backhoe. Reportedly on a four day "vacation" leave while under investigation for ethics violations, he's still the department head, but how much longer the council will continue to jeopardize their own position for his is anybody's guess.
After his attempt to interfere with government operations by arresting the mayor as he was walking into the May 10th meeting of the Common Council, even former supporters are questioning his motives and his choice of timing.
His repeated harassment and misdemeanor arrests of Desert Freedom Press publisher Jennifer Jones appears to be creating an iron clad basis for her harassment lawsuit against him and the town. After being served with a notice of claim by Jones' attorney last June, it is inconceivable that town leaders would tolerate the patterns and practice that initiated the complaint, yet their complicity in Police Chief Jeff Gilbert's actions make them willing accomplices to his alleged crimes. They even gave him a pay raise recently, when they approved renewing his contact.
What? The mayor was arrested? Yes, but he didn't go to jail. Police Chief Gilbert released him, after he signed a misdemeanor citation under duress for "disorderly conduct" and "interfering with prosecution" and will be reportedly pleading not guilty at his June arraignment. The felony charge requested by the police chief was thrown out by La Paz County Prosecutor "Sammy the Bully" Vederman. According to a reliable source, Vederman considered it politically motivated...
The arrest of Mayor Foster did not occur at the time of the alleged incident, but 5 days later, leaving a few to wonder why the citation was not served at Foster's home, or while he was out in public. However, it is apparent to most that the arrest was an orchestrated show of force that required an audience. If the Chief had hopes of Mayor Foster resisting arrest, or providing some other cause resulting in jail time, Gilbert must have been disappointed. Foster chaired the meeting without further interference.
Will new town prosecutor Martin Brannan actually take these misdemeanor charges to trial? What evidence of police misconduct will be revealed during pre-trial "discovery"? The summer may be hot, but it certainly won't be boring. I for one am looking forward to seeing the police chief take the stand and try and justify his actions!
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What does it take to get the town of Quartzsite to give Jeff Gilbert a lifetime vacation? Free food and housing, and free healthcare for life. Yes, let's give him the full treatment like he wrongly has against the very people he is paid to protect. 4 Days, BIG FREAKING DEAL!
ReplyDeleteFIRE HIM! FIRE ALEX TAFT TOO!!!!
The Mayor deserved to get arrested, You whinney ass people in QTZ need to get a life. Interfear with someone being arrested and you too will go to jail. DEAL WITH IT! Get rid of the Mingey Mayor he is nothing but a no good low life pain in the ass and sets a piss poor example of how to respect the law.
ReplyDeleteReport police misconduct:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/polmis.php
Come on Michael, if you support firing him the council will keep him just to spite you! They have a well documented history of ignoring complaints about his misconduct just because they don't like the people complaining. Can you imagine how painful it must be for those puppets to admit they were wrong or that Jeff lied to them too? And it's all going to come out in these upcoming lawsuits and criminal trials. The citizens have backed them into a corner, the officers too. If they don't fire Jeff for cause now, they will not be able to wriggle out of any criminal and/or civil liability for his actions.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know city council didn't know chief Gilbert wasn't doing this corrupted law enforcement, Look at who replace him?
DeleteAnd look at who is supporting the good old boys club. It is absolutely a group of people who will do and say anything.
They will seem godly and the first chance they get, you better look out, they want hesitate.
These people's souls are as dark as the color black. Out in public, sugar wouldn't melt in their mouth, but in secret they will break up families, marriages, cheat and hurt any one they can. Don't be fooled!!!!
Are we looking at a replay from “The Little Bighorn?” This reminds me of the young Second Lieutenant that came running up to his Commander-In-Chief crying, “General, General, there’s Ingins to the right of us, Ingins to the left of us, WE’RE COMPLETELY SUROUNDED”! Where upon the General slapped the young officer on the back and calmed him with, “Don’t worry son, they ain’t going to get away from us this time”!
ReplyDeleteIMHO, the Town Council, Town Manager Alex Taft, and Town Attorney Pamela Walsma have allowed their attack dog loose and will now have to face the Civil and Criminal outcome of their actions & non-actions in regards to Chief Jeff Gilbert. Each member of the Town Council has already waved any protections under the laws of Arizona and the U.S. Government granted them and even Town Attorney Pamela Walsma and the Law Firm she works for will be forced to defend themselves in both Civil and Criminal Courts!
Now lets look at the end result. The supporters of this group of town clowns that own property will be forced to pay the piper for the tunes they called for in the end. On the other hand those that don’t own property can just move on and have a big laugh at how they bankrupted the Town of Quartzsite! Got a job at town hall? Better start hitting the “help wanted” section of the paper before your job app is stained with “WORKED FOR THE TOWN OF QUARTZISTE”! As I understand it, those with insight have already taken that step forward…
Why haven't you posted any articles on the news that the Quartzsite Police Officers have filed a formal written complaint against Chief Gilbert's abuse of his authority to the town council and the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training board. (AZPOST) Many of his officers are tired his antics.
ReplyDeleteJust when I thought there was no hope along with no morals. A few brave Q.P.D. Officer's finally took a stand against Quartzsite's biggest terrorist threat Chief Gilbert!! I thank-you and commend those Officer's who know right from wrong choosing to serve and protect the citizens of this community. We should all give a big thanks and think about splitting Gilbert's pay between those who are taking a step to bring nobility and honor back to their profession.
ReplyDeleteIn this time of uncertainty it is good to know that there are Q.P.D. Officers that may not be participating in the take down of America that is now occurring all around us. Things are looking up Quartzsite!!
Something to be aware of, slowly the PTB are eliminating the Sheriff's positions all around the country. We should keep a watchful eye that this does not occur here.
L.P.H. Zani
Anonymous from Parker, I'm guessing you are with the Sheriff's Office, so if this AZPOST complaint is true, will Lowery let you stand in solidarity with QPD? If our boys in blue took a stand for the citizens, it is a proud day indeed! I only wish that it hadn't taken pending lawsuits and the looming dark cloud of testimony and exhibits to force the QPD into admitting what the public has tried to convince council of for years now. Better late than never...way to go guys! Jeff is a drowning man, anyone he latches onto now will be dragged down with him. Taft must be a better soothsayer than prognosticator, she's sure had the council fooled...or were they willing co-conspiritors all along?
ReplyDelete“Divide & Conquer” is the rules of the game. Up until now, Chief Jeff Gilbert has played the game as though he is the only one that can make the rules. In the end, Inmate Gilbert, Jeff (lets face facts here, he will be know by his inmate #) will have a lot of time in Segregated Confinement to see the errors of his ways. There is NO way that Inmate Gilbert would survive in the General Population. IMHO, allowing one of his active duty Police Officers to escape criminal investigation with an underage girl will make him #1 pin-up-boy of every other inmate!
ReplyDeleteThe most important think that should be on the minds of any QPD Officer should be, “Can I turn States Evidence against Chief Jeff Gilbert (and the town council) to save my (butt) career and stay out of a State and/or Federal Prison?” I have personal knowledge of a Police Officer that stood up and tossed his badge on his Chief’s desk when given an unlawful order. It was when the other members of that Police Department stood up and started to remove their badges that the Chief resend his unlawful (Listen up QPD, it was to make a unlawful arrest of a person not liked by the Chief and City Mayor!) orders!
For a small few, there is still time to step forward and do the right think and put a full stop to the criminal actions of the “Brown Nose Posse” of Chief Jeff Gilbert or hope that you are not sentenced to the same prison as Gilbert! Remember that you took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the Untied States of America, NOT break the laws of the land! Your sins will follow you to prison and what you did to get there will be know. In prison the two kinds of people that are not wanted by the General Population are bad cops and child molesters! Your choice now, don’t let a Grand Jury take that away from you…
Methinks that Taft has spent taxpayer money to hire a private firm to investigate these complaints, thereby getting the report she wants and not the truth once again. Last time, Gilbert's buddy at the LPCS did the "investigation", but I'll bet he wouldn't put his own career on the line to cover it up again...
ReplyDeleteDPS should be investigating, and would do it for free. Will this private firm be interviewing QPD officers later this week? What is this costing the taxpayers? Why does the council enable Taft's criminal maneuverings? What is she afraid a real investigation will bring to light? Conspiracy charges (RICO) are not usually this easy of a case to make.
Part 1 of 2
ReplyDeleteHow can Quartzsite Town Manager Alex Taft hire a P.I. to investigate Chief Jeff Gilbert? Where is she getting the money? Has anyone looked into the cost for a P.I.? Where are you going to get any private P.I. company (unless she hired a unqualified family member or friend) that would investigate a County Sheriff or City/Town Chief of Police? They depend heavily upon their ties to Law Enforcement, to do so is stopping upon Hollowed Ground!
Rumor has it that the Town of Quartzsite has lost its Truck Stop Revenue or HURF Funds. What was the quote from Town Manager Alex Taft, “We don’t care about the businesses. We get all the money we need from the Truck Stops”! It was further reported that the town is so broke that they can’t make this winters payroll! Is this the reason behind having the Building Code Officer Al Johnson being readied for the Town Managers job? Has Alex Taft told Al Johnson all the little hidden secrets or is he going to have to find out on his own when his paycheck bounces?
Part 2 of 2
ReplyDeleteWith all the cutbacks that EVERY County in Arizona is experiencing, just where is ANY Quartzsite employee going to find another job within local government much less someone that has the Town of Quartzsite on their job app. The truth in the puttin’ lies within the fact that if the few QPD Officers don’t clean up and place in jail the corrupt ones there will be no Police Agency that will hire them. It would be far better for this to happen by their own efforts before the Law Firms on retainer and being hired arrive to do their job for them.
You don’t believe me. Then tell me why when I tell anyone in the Western United States that I’m from Quartzsite I get interrupted with, “Isn’t that that little town where one Mayor hired a hit man to kill the other Mayor?”
Well here we are again with another bias, uninformed, Anonymous attack upon the truth and facts in Quartzsite. Since you have yet to read the reports from the members of the Quartzsite Police Department (QPD) and the latest criminal acts by Chief Jeff Gilbert’s “Brown Nose Posse,” take the time to visit the links listed below and get up to speed. That is if you can take your nose out of Gilbert’s 6 long enough to become educated!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.quartzsitenews.tv/QPD.PDF
http://qtown.us/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011-06-03-Letter-Foster-to-Taft-re-Frausto.pdf
It was mindless followers like yourself that led to over 11 million people to be exterminated in SS controlled Concentration Camps throughout Europe in the late 30’s until 1944. Their only response in defense at the Nuremberg Trials was, “I was only following orders”! When they come for you, will you be so supportive when no one is left to speak in your behalf?
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/nuremberg.htm
Wow, I really hate to side with Jones and Roth. Their tactics and vitriol is definitely a negative influence in local politics. However, with the cops coming out, it looks like they were right. So I have to give apologies for doubting.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing you should look at is the Parker Pioneer's coverage of this story and the article they published "Legality of Quartzsite Meeting questioned" What's below is a cut/paste of a comment I posted on the Pioneer Forums which explains my point. Anyone want to place bets that it will never get approved or appear on the site?
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"One ignored question about this article is how the headlines were chosen. Why does THIS article, emphasis the "questions" about the meeting (of which the public has none, only the city council) but it only has passing mention of the officers complaints.
Meanwhile, the article about this story in the Palo Verde Times, ALSO written by Gutekunst, bears the headline "Quartzsite cops want police chief investigated." (Go to their website or google, I'm sure if I post a link it'll be used as an excuse not to approve this comment.)
Two articles about the same story, written by the same reporter, in two separate newspapers. Yet they have VASTLY different headlines and focus. Why did John write the Parker Pioneer article to focus on the meeting, while the Blythe Paper article emphasizes the Police Officers complaints? (the REAL story.)
Now, the Pioneer did have an internet article posted with a slightly fairer headline of "Special meeting in Quartzsite on Police Department" on June 1st, but it was quickly removed the same day. That article did put more emphasis on the officers complaints. You can still find the headline link with a google news search. Did the Pioneer get a call from a powerful Parker person and order you to change the article? It certainly looks bad."
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You know, I was happy when all the recall candidates lots. This changes everything, and should for a lot of people. Its even worse that Ms. Jones tabloid is the only local "news" outlet that is covering the story accurately and publishing the officers letter. It'll be interesting to see how the June 14th meeting is covered.
I can’t wait for the reaction that Chief Jeff Gilbert is going to have when he finds out that his own testimony in the Michael Roth convictions was in part the reason for the Appellate Court of Arizona to order the La Paz County Superior Court to VACATE ALL 3 CONVICTIONS against Michael Roth!
ReplyDeleteWhile the Appellate Court has ruled that La Paz County had NO case, Michael Roth on the other hand does IMHO. Just how long will it be before former Chief Jeff Gilbert and his wife stand by to watch the Sheriff’s Auction selling off her brand new Prius to help satisfy the judgments against the dethroned Chief of Police of Quartzsite, Arizona?
No, DW, the Appellate Court hasn't yet ruled in Roth's favor, you must have stumbled on his "Opening Brief" in support of vacating the convictions. I read it this morning, and the case law cited will surely vindicate Roth. I predict the Prius will be on the auction block very soon LOL!
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected, but as I see it, just a final outcome reported early! ;o)
ReplyDeleteZani for Sheriff!
ReplyDeleteI live in Pennsylvania, I would love to move to Quartzsite AZ and help to cleanup the town.
ReplyDeleteApparently that kook of a Police Chief needs to have that chip knocked off his shoulder and - - - - Booted to the street! I hate freaking corrupt public officials. Especially those that are so dense that they deny their own claim to fame.
I have many many friends in Law Enforcement and over 25 years in public safety so I am well aware of these types of asswipes.... Get them out of office and install someone with real morals.
I am not afraid of bullies like him and use my real name and e-mail. My name is Joseph W Smith Jr and my e-mail address is slushey26@gmail.com so if you choose to write back at least have the balls to use your name!!!